Amazing.com Co-Founder Raises Over $7400 For Childhood Cancer Research Through Facebook Birthday Fundraiser

Jason Katzenback, Amazing.com Co-Founder and CEO, and Charlene Katzenback recently announced their plans to celebrate their September birthdays by honoring National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and raised over $7k in donations for childhood cancer research. In addition to National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, September marks six months since the Katzeback family lost their daughter to Ewing’s Sarcoma CIC-DUX4. For their birthdays this month, the couple set up a Facebook birthday fundraiser and asked for donations to Ewing’s Sarcoma Research Foundation.

The Ewing’s Sarcoma Research Foundation is a nonprofit that aims to help patients around the world by finding a cure for Ewing’s Sarcoma. When their daughter, Gayle, was diagnosed with the disease, they were told there was no known treatment for the rare form of cancer. The Katzenbacks want to help ensure no families hears that again and hope the funds they raise for the foundation will aid researchers in their efforts to find a cure.

Katzenback’s initial goal was to raise $200 for the foundation in honor of his birthday and National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The outpouring of support quickly surpassed the fundraising goal. In the end, the Katzenbacks raised over $7,400 through Facebook birthday donations. Jason Katzenback shared, “September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. It is also, the six-month mark since my daughter passed from Ewing’s Sarcoma CIC-DUX4. In Canada and the USA, children make up close to 23% of the total population, yet government funding for Childhood cancer research is only about 4%. Our government is not prioritizing our children, and as a father who lost his daughter just six months ago to cancer, this needs to change. We need to build more awareness to the lack of funds being allocated to all childhood cancers. Our children are our future and deserve more than 4%!”

Recognizing the gap in crucial support for the thousands of children, Jason has dedicated himself to brining awareness to the lack of funds allocated. To honor their daughter and bring awareness to this discrepancy and the children who may have lived if more funds were allocated to find a cure, Jason and Charlene will fill their lawn with over 400 luminary bags with the names of children who have passed from Ewing’s Sarcoma CIC-DUX4.

Charlene added, “Cancer—it’s only “rare” until it’s your family. Unfortunately, like most things in life, until it affects you personally, we are all too busy to get involved, plus the thought of your child ever getting diagnosed with cancer is too horrific to think about, we know because we never thought it would be us either. Now that I’m part of many childhood cancer Facebook groups for parents, both survivor’s and bereaved, I see the stats, and they are alarming.

“September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month, and my news feed has blown up with Gold (the color that represents Childhood Cancer). Although it makes me happy to see the effects social media is having on bringing to light the devastation too many parents are facing, it’s still not enough. We need to be proactive in making more people aware and wanting to advocate for change in funding research for Childhood cancers. Only 4% of all Cancer research funding goes toward Childhood cancers, which breaks down to a fraction of a percent going toward rare childhood cancers like our daughter Gayle had.

“There is still no known treatment for Ewing’s-like-Sarcoma CIC-DUX4. Therefore, Gayle received the next best thing…50-year-old chemotherapies and radiation meant for those with Ewing’s Sarcoma.

“Even still, those kids have only about 70 percent chance of survival with permanent side effects from harsh treatments. Teens aged 15 to 19 have a lower survival rate of about 56 percent. For children diagnosed after their disease has spread, the survival rate is less than 30 percent.

“This Saturday will be 6 months since Gayle passed. Since it is also Childhood Cancer Awareness month, this weekend we will fill our front yard with luminaires adorned with the names of more than 300 children from around the world who were taken too soon because we have failed them.”

Jason Katzenback is the Co-Founder and CEO of Amazing.com. Jason and his wife, Charlene, are passionate and on a mission to support families affected by childhood cancer in any way he can. He is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and family man. His company, Amazing.com, allows him to support his mission of making everyone’s lives amazing. Amazing.com offers online business courses to entrepreneurs, assisting them in finding financial freedom through an Amazon business.

About Amazing.com:
Amazing.com was co-founded by Matt Clark and Jason Katzenback. The company is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Through internet-based courses and live conferences, the company teaches people how to build and grow physical products businesses. Amazing Selling Machine, or ASM, is the premier course offered by Amazing.com. ASM teaches people, how to build a successful physical products business, leveraging Amazon’s marketplace. ASMX is set to launch early October 2018. SellerCon is Amazing.com’s annual Amazon seller conference. SellerCon teaches entrepreneurs sophisticated, up to date seller techniques and gives them a platform to network with likeminded businesspeople.