A lot of people have been wondering why I wear my gold ribbon. So I thought it would be great if I explained to you what the #GoforGold really means to me.
I was so excited when the month of September came around. It is generally the time that I rush to Wal-Mart, stock up on some gold ribbons and pins and begin my community service work. I want to get the word about Childhood Cancer Awareness month.
It seems to me that there is a lot of focus on breast cancer (which I'm not knocking). There's a lot of "Power of the Pink" going around, but that's not the only cancer out there. There are tons of cancers in the body and actually any place there is a cell could be cancerous.
Me being a teenager and having cancer as a child, I can tell you first hand that it's a terrifying thing to experience. But luckily, I have wonderful parents who sheltered me from the bad things and kind of sugar-coated the worse parts of the process.
If there was a way brutally honest way to put what's going on to a child without sugar-coating it, it would go a little something like this:
"Hey baby, well the doctors have found a very, very bad illness in your body. No worries they're going to kill it. You have to take this really strong medicine about twice a week every two weeks. Sadly, it's going to make you sicker than you already are, you will lose your hair, and there will be a lot of weight lost. In order to get you better they will have to get more sick first. So in saying that, we have to go back and forth to the hospital a hundred times; once you get there the doctors will make you extremely sick, send you home to get better, and then you have to do it all over again. For about the whole summer. But baby I promise, it will save your life!"
This can be very confusing for some kids. It's hard to explain as well as understand. The harsh realities that both the kids and their parents face is so devastating and it is a hard conversation to have over and over again. That is a greater reason why the gold ribbon symbolizes the unspoken. So, I wear my ribbon with pride! I love for people to ask me what my ribbon stands for. I want to get the word out and raise as much awareness as I can. So please join the movement , wear your gold ribbon in September, and support a great cause!
