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Hi Guys,
Before you close the tab, this isn't a charity plea!
This was sent to me in an email asking me to sign a petition to help save this Child's life.

Refael Elisha Cohen, a six year old from Houston TX, was diagnosed with brain cancer. He has gone through many treatments and unfortunately, doctors have now given him one last resort.
The only possibility of saving his life is  by giving him Antineoplaston therapy. However, this therapy is currently under FDA inspection and it'll be too late for him when it is finally approved.
The FDA has the power to approve a "compassionate use exemption" so Refael Elisha can undergo this therapy before it is fully approved to try and save his life.

I know that the community here is large. We have thousands of users of different cypto-currencies here. All I ask is that you take a minute out of your schedule to sign this White House Petition to help give this brave and strong child a chance of life.

The petition can be found here: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/authorize-fda-grant-compassionate-use-exemption-refael-elisha-cohen-antineoplaston-therapy/BVSP1ZkW

Another 46000 signatures are needed by January the 2nd.

We alone on bitcointalk have the power to ensure that the petition reaches 100k signatures in order to save this Child.

Please spread the word, and post below if you have signed it. No matter what race or religion you are, we are all humans and we all have the right to live...

Many Thanks

- AT101ET

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/authorize-fda-grant-compassionate-use-exemption-refael-elisha-cohen-antineoplaston-therapy/BVSP1ZkW

Done ;D

Thanks so much. You could have saved someone's life.
I'd give you rep if I knew how to on here.

For some reason it is telling me that I have already signed it even though I have not. Best of luck anyway.

Antineoplaston therapy from Burzynski seems to be an "unproven cancer treatment" method. But if it's the only way of saving the the kids' life, you've got my signature. :)

Again thanks to you all.
This just goes to show how great the bit coin community is.
And yes, it's not proven yet. However, as you said, it's his only chance...
When it comes to life and death, I'm sure chances are willing to be taken.

Thanks again... :)

If you want more views you must state in the title you're not asking for donations

Done.  :)

I will do. Thanks for the advice.
If you guys could share the link, I'd be most grateful.

Done and shared

Watch twitter light up!  Follow this tweet.

https://twitter.com/usdbtc/status/410900016837181441

DONE! Doing a great job OP considering you got this petition in one of your mails.
You can also put its link in your sig if you want.

Will do. Thanks for the suggestion and for signing :)

Added to my sig

Thanks. You guys are all amazing!

I also will join.

Seems sort of strange that in order to get them to allow an experimental procedure to be done, that they would have to get thousands of strangers signatures? You would think that the parents would just be allowed to sign a waiver or something releasing the hospital of liability in case something went wrong, and the hospital would just have to get approval by proving that they have tried everything else.

i was a bit lazy to do it, but then i felt bad for being too lazy to click on "forgot my password" and type my email in. i doubt the white house will really do anything, unless they are desperate for PR. still though, better to sign it than not. you might want to create a topic on reddit too, you could possibly get well over 100,000 signatures.

I love this so much. Inspiring. I am In.
BNBL

The FDA never pulled their approval for this "treatment" in 2012, because they never approved it in the first place. They issued an enforcement notice in 2012 to the Burzynski Clinic after they failed to comply with a previous ban on promoting this "treatment". The reason for the original ban is that every single independent study has shown that the "treatment" provides no benefit whatsoever, and in fact has the potential to causes serious side-effects. It is nothing more than a scam to separate dying people and their families from their wallets. If you support this petition, then you support this vile scam and you are an evil person. >:(

I do not support this petition, but I support right as an american to do as they wish and be free. If the family and their doctors say this is the only means left to heal their child, then I do not believe the government should restrict them from making that decision because the government thinks it's not a real treatment.

It's like the government saying "God isn't real, so we are going to ban people praying for other people because it's not a legitimate treatment". Whether or not they think it's a legitimate treatment shouldn't ban others from using it.

Just my 2 satoshis...

The doctors aren't saying that, and no real doctor ever would. And nobody has a right to endanger (or, in this case, potentially slightly shorten) the life of a child by using dangerous "treatments" that are proven to have no benefit. If the family has been told that this "treatment" is either safe or effective, they have been lied to; and for the clinic use this lie to sell their "treatment" (or anything else) is fraud, and nobody has a right to commit a fraud either, especially against a family with a dying child.

I'm not suggesting that either. If people want to pray for the dying, that okay. But if they want to sell their prayers, and they do this by telling dying people and their families that the prayers they're selling will cure them, that's not okay, and such practices should be banned.

Going from what OP said, I am under the impression that the family's doctors have said that this is the last resort, and that there is not other way of saving him:
 

As for paying for prayers, I agree with you. Paying for a service which isn't scientifically proven is pretty scammy. But I don't believe the government should ban you from spending your money how you wish. But I do believe that the government should be cautious about people not taking care of their kids (DHS, etc).

Worry about side effects in this situation is kind of dumb since the kid is going to be dead soon anyway. You can't get more dead than... dead. If their last resort to save their child through an unscientifically proven experimental procedure, than I see no reason why the government should ban you from possibly saving your child. Whether or not you are paying money for this service.

"No, you can't save your kid through one of our approved methods. Only our ways work, and you are banned from using anything else. Sucks about your kid. But that's the way it goes because we said so."

Guys, I respect your views.
However, please don't make this a discussion thread whethe you believe in it or not.
I'm sure the parents and doctors have spoken about it greatly and this really is the last resort.
In addition, I'm certain the parents wouldn't force anything on their dying son without discussing it with him first. Yes he's 6, but he understands that's he's sick, and I'm pretty sure he's able to make a decision over a small chance he has of living and dying.
THIS IS NOT AN APPEAL.
$92k has already been donated for his treatment.
Whether you believe in it or not, this is the child's only hope, and I'm sure if anyone here was in the same or similar situation (which should never happen), I'm sure you'd all do the same.

Thanks

well, if you want people to sign the petition, and they are discussing about the validity of what the petition is for.. i think it's proper to mention.

Yes, that's true.
But if someone doesn't believe in it and genuinely has something against it, then that is up to them. However, I ask that they do not post their views if its only going to dissuade others.
This is about saving someones life, not a national debate.

Thanks

BUMP.
Trying to keep this Post up.
Your signatures are needed desperately!

btw, have you tried posting it on reddit? that might get more than enough signatures. it's possibly front page material right there. if that were the case, you'd end up getting well over 100,000 votes.

Will give this a bump as well.

C'mon guys, bring in those signatures!

Retweet and favorite this tweet. It's already has 20/9

34,000 signatures left. We will not lose this battle.

https://twitter.com/usdbtc/status/410900016837181441

mh, that activation mail seems to got lost somewhere

Ill see if I can share this more!
Bump

Wait!.
We are free to debate and talk about this. You can't force us to either sign up or walk away with our mouths shout.
Reading some posts I do hope this isn't a clever elaborated scam to prove this treatment works on a healthy child!

You are free to debate it.
BUT, if you don't believe in it, don't try to persuade others not to sign up.
And which sadistic people would do that?

I don't know this kid, but his story has been going round, and I don't think for a second that any family on Earth would make that up.

For all those trying to promote this, I thank you.
My gratitude may not be much, but you will be rewarded one day :)

Bumping up again.
Thanks to everyone who's helped so far.
I've now created a post on reddit as well, so thanks for the advice.
Only 29,000 more signatures needed. A big drop from the 55,000 needed when this thread was started.

can you link us to the reddit thread? i'd like to see what kind of an impact that has had.

20,000 signatures sign i signed it a few days ago. at this rate, it looks like it will go through. we'll have to see if anything will really happen though.

another idea: you could contact a talk show, such as ellen.. to get them to cover this story. that would probably put you over 150,000 even.

Hmm, tough call.  Based on what I've read about the guy that runs this clinic it does sound like he's a scammer that preys on the terminally ill's hopes, in order to stay in business.  But the kid seems real enough...  I guess if his parents want to spend their money that's their business.  But I don't necessarily want to help the doctor get more money, if he really is a charlatan.  Tough call...  Screw it, I'll sign it, it looks like it's a one time authorization for this particular kid.  Signed...

Only a few signatures left. Almost there... BUMP!

ONLY 500 SIGNATURES NEEDED!!!

WE WILL DO IT.

COME ON GUYS :)

PETITION HAS BEEN FULFILLED!!!
Many thanks to all those who signed it.
Have a wonderful Christmas (to those that celebrate) and a happy, healthy and successful year.

Thanks once again. :)

WE DID IT!!!  :) :) :)

What does "has been fulfilled" mean?
Is this the thing where the White House MUST answer when enough votes?

It means, it will now be reviewed by White House officials.
They have the final say and will either give it the all clear or reject it.

Just looked a the petition and it's over the needed amount! Good job

Classy