September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

 
 
 
 
 

AWARENESS MONTH 2020

During 2020’s Awareness Month, we recognized the challenges and hardships that COVID-19 has created for families dealing with a childhood cancer diagnosis -- delayed appointments, severe financial strain, and overwhelming anxiety, exacerbated by social isolation. This month, approximately 1,400 families will hear the words no one wants to hear – your child has cancer – in the midst of a global pandemic.

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CHILDREN’S CANCER CAUSE: DOING OUR PART TO HELP FAMILIES IMPACTED BY COVID

COVID-19 has challenged all of us this year, especially children with cancer who have compromised immune systems.

Here are just a few of the ways we’ve stepped up to try to help more families during this difficult time:

  • We provided a record number of scholarships to childhood cancer survivors through our College Scholars Program in recognition of the devastating financial impact of this pandemic.

  • We are fighting for expanded paid family leave policies to protect Americans most at-risk, including childhood cancer survivors with chronic health conditions like heart and lung damage.

  • We are mobilizing to secure increased childhood cancer research funding, including emergency funds to help restart clinical trials disrupted by the pandemic.

  • We’ve established a new award, the Survivorship Champion’s Prize. The inaugural award will be presented in November to a group, program, or institution making significant advances in programs and services to provide life-long health maintenance for survivors of pediatric cancers.

  • We’re launching a brand new program this fall aimed at empowering, educating, and connecting the nation's 500,000 childhood cancer survivors. Sign up here to be among the first to know when we are live!

 
 

AWARENESS MONTH 2019

Washington, DC: September 2019 was busy in Washington, DC, as families, survivors, advocates and supporters gathered together to recognize Childhood Cancer Awareness Month with a flurry of events and activities.

Every year these events give us a treasured opportunity to reconnect with old friends, meet new families, and join together with our colleagues across the community to mark our shared progress in the fight against childhood cancer. We have a more thorough account of these events on our blog but here are some highlights:

  • The 7th Annual Rally for Medical Research Hill Day brought approximately 300 advocates to Capitol Hill to lobby for strong funding of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

  • Hyundai Hope on Wheels celebrated ‘DC Days of Hope,’ highlighting the work of their Youth Ambassadors and the achievements of the 76 cancer researchers that Hope on Wheels supported in 2019

  • On Friday, September 20th, we joined the Congressional Childhood Cancer Caucus for their 10th Annual Childhood Cancer Summit on Capitol Hill. We heard from Caucus co-chairs Michael McCaul (TX-10), Jackie Speier (CA-14), GK Butterfield (NC-01), and Mike Kelly (PA-3), who spoke of the great progress made over the past decade — and the work still to be done. The Congressmen announced the introduction of legislation to permanently reauthorize the Creating Hope Act.

  • A big weekend of CureFest activities, including a rally to the Capitol and a candlelight vigil, concluded on Sunday, September 22nd with CureFest on the National Mall. Sunday’s events included a walk, live entertainment, and informational exhibit booths hosted by organizations like our own. Children’s Cancer Cause was proud to once again be a bronze sponsor of CureFest, an event we look forward to every year. Thank you to everyone who stopped by our exhibit booth to learn more about our work.

FACTS ABOUT CHILDHOOD CANCER

  • 46 children per day or 16,850 children per year are expected to be diagnosed with cancer.

  • Childhood cancer is not one disease – there are more than 12 major types of pediatric cancers and over 100 subtypes.

  • Cancer is the number one cause of death by disease among children. Worldwide, 100,000 children lose their lives every year to cancer.

  • Since 1980, only four drugs have been approved in the first instance for use in children. This is compared with hundreds of drugs that have been developed specifically for adults only.

  • A diagnosis of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is normally terminal with less than 25% of children surviving even two years.

  • More than 95% of childhood cancer survivors will have a significant health related issue by the time they are 45 years of age; these health related issues are side-effects of either the cancer or more commonly, the result of its treatment.

Source: Coalition Against Childhood Cancer (CAC2)