On Saturday August 6 Answer to Cancer will hold an 8k/4k walk/run to raise money for cancer research and education near where I now live in Oregon.

Adrian Elkins was 19 years old when he was diagnosed with terminal, primary liver cancer (HCC), a complication as a result of chronic, hepatitis B he contracted at birth in Calcutta, India. During the final 6 weeks of his life, Adrian started The Answer to Cancer Foundation, in an effort to educate those with hepatitis B about the potentially life-threatening risks associated with this disease...

The Answer to Cancer Foundation was developed to educate people about liver cancer, and to promote the involvement of the general public in research, treatment awareness and education as it relates to liver cancer and associated illnesses, specifically Hepatitis B. Our mission is to raise funds for organizations and associations that have a similar mission and a large national reach. We strive to make a difference, on a local level, by generating attendance at our events (primarily races), gaining financial support for our cause from various corporations and donors and by integrating the community into all of our efforts through race participation and the distribution of educational information at our events.

It will hold three fundraising races this year, one in San Francisco (this past April), one in Oregon this coming month, and one in New Jersey in September. While these sorts of fundraisers are common enough in the United States, I do not recall this happening that often while I lived in China. The most famous Chinese charity, Project Hope, raises money for rural children to return to school. That is a worthy cause, but like any large society, China is a country with many needs. Unfortunately, it is still a country with limited economic means.

Answer to Cancer focuses primarily on one type of cancer, liver, and on one of its primary sources, Hepatitis B. Though money raised by Answer to Cancer will primarily be used in the United States, in fact its greatest impact will be felt in other countries, perhaps especially China.

There are two broad categories of Hepatitis B: acute and chronic. It is caused by a virus which is transmitted through blood or during sex. Acute Hepatitis B is what the infection is called during its first 6-9 months. Likely symptoms at the beginning of an infection include nauseousness, achy joints, and discomfort in the abdomen. However, it is quite possible that you will show no symptoms whatsoever. That does not mean, though, that the virus is not attacking your liver. If your body is unable to get rid of the virus then your infection becomes chronic.

The likelihood of developing a chronic infection from an acute one slowly declines as you get older. If you receive Hepatitis B as a newborn through your infected mother than you have almost a 90% chance to develop a chronic infection: sadly, newborns do not have adequate immune systems to fight the virus. An adult has only a 5% to 10% chance of developing a chronic infection. Once you have chronic Hepatitis B you will always have it: your body ceases to fight against it. Not in every situation though does chronic Hepatitis B lead to death. Sometimes nothing at all happens: you remain a carrier but your infection is not full-blown. If your infection does become full-blown then it will attack the liver.

As it inflames the liver scar tissue begins to form throughout the organ: liver cirrhosis. This scaring can lead to liver cancer. Because this cancer is difficult to detect in its infancy, once you have been diagnosed it is usually too late to treat.

In China, 170 million people are carriers of Hepatitis B and of that number, 10% have chronic Hepatitis B. While there is a vaccine available for Hepatitis B many people in China have yet to take it. Hepatitis B carries a significant negative stigma in China. Workplace discrimination, as well as discrimination in general against Hepatitis B sufferers makes for incredibly sad reading. In Zhejiang there was a famous case of a young man, Zhou Yichao, killing a local government official after he was denied employment because he was a Hepatitis B carrier. This stigma is a great pity since Hepatitis B is not easily transmitted (touching or saliva won't do it) and it is easily preventable with a vaccine.

In the United States there are comparatively few chronic Hepatitis B sufferers and consequently there is little impetus in this country to fund research to find a cure. However, worldwide there are few other viruses so widespread: 2 billion people have been infected at one time or another with Hepatitis B and of that number 350 million people have chronic infections. Many of those people live in China.

As China economically develops it will probably start allocating more money to Hepatitis B research and I have no doubt that eventually a cure for this virus will be found. For now though, there is a disjunct between where the economic resources are located and where the disease is most prevalent. Answer to Cancer is a way to bridge that gap. If you live near where the fundraising walk/runs will be held it would be great if you participated! However, for those who live too far away then Answer for Cancer provides a page where donations are accepted. For those bloggers who read this post, I deeply urge you to put a link to Answer to Cancer's donation page on your front page. The more publicity Hepatitis B research and education receives, the better. For readers of this post I urge you to go directly to this page and make a donation. Money funds research and that will be the only way we can find a cure to this virus.

Perhaps Hepatitis B seems too far away to you or perhaps not entirely real. For those of us who live or have lived in China however, I can guarantee that some of the people you work with, study with, play with, have meals with, or just see on the street, have chronic Hepatitis B. Hepatitis B is quite real: helping fund research will affect more people than you can imagine.