Did you know that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month? My guess is that most people don't realize this. I didn't until this past year when a little friend of ours (O) was diagnosed with cancer. Did you know that a gold ribbon is the symbol for childhood cancer? My guess is that most people don't know this, either. I know I didn't. I honestly can say that I don't know if I had ever even seen anyone wearing a gold ribbon for childhood cancer or ever saw it advertised on T.V. Have you?
We see pink ribbons all over the place for breast cancer, which I think is wonderful! We hear a lot about the research being done to cure breast cancer (and other cancers), we hear a lot about the 3 day Walk, but what do we really hear about childhood cancer? Not much, really. I can recall hearing more about it around Thanksgiving/Christmas time when the St.Jude commercials start coming on T.V., but other than that, where or when do we see or hear anything about it? It's really quite a shame because there are so many families out there, right now, watching their child suffer with cancer.
Last year, when our little friend, O, was first diagnosed with medulloblastoma (a type of brain cancer), I started following her caring bridge site ( a place where the family can post how the patient is doing so family, friends, whoever can visit and keep up with their condition). Somehow, from that site, I began looking at other kids' sites. Some of these sites would mention other kids in need of prayers and so I would get connected to other sites. I was "hooked" on several sites of children I did not know but yet I was drawn to check on them and began praying for these children and their families. Honestly, I was overwhelmed with what I found out. Here are just a few statistics that I came across:
- 46 kids get diagnosed with cancer every day school is in session
- Breast Cancer Research took in over $500 million dollars more than Pediatric Cancer Research last year
- government spends $14 billion dollars on the space program and $35 million dollars on Childhood Cancer Research
-Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined.
-Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20% of adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80% of children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis).
-Cancer in childhood occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region.
-The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents).
- On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year.
-On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every weekday.
-While the cancer death rate has dropped more dramatically for children than for any other age group, 2,300 children and teenagers will die each year from cancer.
-Childhood leukemia (making up the largest group of childhood cancers) was once a certain death sentence, but now can be cured almost 80% of the time.
-Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Can you believe that? I couldn't and still can't. When I first started reading these sites, I had quite a few kids I followed regularly. I can not tell you how many of those kids have already passed away since I first found them. I don't know any of them personally (except our little friend, O) but I almost feel like I do from following their stories. It is just so heartbreaking because it could so easily be your own child. I guess that is why it has touched me so much because I am a mother and I put myself in their shoes and just can't imagine the pain of watching your child suffer with cancer . It has made me realize how much I have to be thankful for, how not to take my kids for granted, and how to be thankful for those times when they are being rowdy, running, and throwing stuff in the house. I am so thankful that my kids are healthy, happy, and are HERE to be rowdy! That's not to say that I now appreciate them the way that I should. I don't know if anyone can truly do that at ALL times, but I know I do try not to take for granted what I have.
I write all of this to just bring a little more awareness to childhood cancer month. I also want to say that I think it is great that there is so much funding for other cancers (research) but that I would LOVE to see the same kind of attention on the childhood cancers as well. If you or anyone you know wants to find out more about this or want to see how you can help, check out these two sites:
www.curesearch.org ( a great organization that helps raise funds for childhood cancer)
www.colesfoundation.com (an incredible story of a family who lost their son 8 weeks after being diagnosed and how they are "paying it forward")
There are lots more out there but these two stand out for me. I also want to add that finding all of these families and reading their stories has been so inspiring for me. Most all of them have a strong faith in God and have remained faithful throughout their ordeal with cancer. It's amazing to read of their intense faith, strength, and praise that they give our Lord. It's easy to have faith and praise God in the good times but these folks show truly how we should give God the glory and praise in ALL times. It is truly inspiring. If anyone would like some of the sites that I frequently read, please let me know.
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