Every September, a gold ribbon is shown to commemorate Childhood Cancer Awareness month. This is an annual awareness month to raise support, funding, and awareness of childhood cancers and the impact for sufferers and families of sufferers of childhood cancer. Cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease for children under the age of 15.
Every year, approximately 300,000 families around the world will hear, “Your child has cancer.” Childhood cancer is not only devastating to the growth and development in children but also impacts their families and friends. When children should be focusing on school, play and making new friends, if they have cancer, their focus ends up being on treatment, medication, operations, not to mention the physical and emotional effects on all those involved.
Parents of childhood cancer sufferers can feel helpless watching their children suffer. The stress of making life-altering decisions on medications and treatments as well as missing work and school takes a toll. And what’s worse is trying to explain to a child what is happening to them, questioning life and faith, and not knowing the ultimate outcome.
Some forms of cancer are mostly or exclusively only seen in children, and that is something highlighted by the awareness month. On a positive note, children can be more resilient to cancer and cancer treatments than adults, and there are many cases of successful treatment and complete recovery where these children grow up to live a normal life.
Awareness, education, and support of childhood cancer is vital and is the purpose of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
To find how you can support Childhood Cancer, visit St. Jude’s website.
