Every year when the month of September rolls around, most people associate the days with back-to-school shopping, first day of school photos and prepping for the beginning of the new academic year. And while it's a time of excitement for most, that's not the only thing worth taking note of and associating with the end of the summer months. September is also Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
If you or a child, relative or friend are fighting cancer, there's a great possibility that you don't have the fortune of looking forward to school starting again. There's no back-to-school shopping, picking out an outfit for first day photos or anxiously waiting to find out who your new teacher may be. Right now, what you look forward to is the end of treatments, days not spent in the hospital and winning the fight against this terrible disease.
And if that's not heartbreaking enough, this is also a time of year that reminds those who have lost loved ones about the days they will not get to experience. The days that cancer took away from them and from the sweet children in their lives.
The American Childhood Cancer Organization and St. Baldrick's Foundation, through their research, have found statistics that really put this disease into perspective.
- In the U.S., one in every 285 kids will be diagnosed with cancer.
- One out of five kids diagnosed with cancer will not survive.
- Every three minutes, somewhere in the world, a family receives the news that their child has cancer.
- Cancer is the most common cause of death by disease for children in the U.S.
- The kids who do survive cancer will most likely suffer long-term effects.
- Just this month, 14,583 kids will be diagnosed with cancer.
There are so many ways that you can help lower these statistics, so many ways that you can become a part of the story that is finding a cure.
RAISE AWARENESS! Gold is the color for childhood cancer, sport a gold ribbon on your backpack, a sticker on the window of your car, a cover photo on Facebook — anything to get the word out. The more people who know, the more we can educate and raise efforts to in the research for a cure.
St. Jude's Walk/Run to End Childhood Cancer: Find a location near you and sign up for a race! The proceeds go toward research and funding and what better way to help with such a deserving cause than by getting out and being active?
Talk with your local community and find out if there are any connections, places to volunteer, ways to help. You'd be surprised to see how much people know and are willing to share when you take a second to stop and ask.
Another great opportunity is Greek life. I am a member of Alpha Omicron Pi and know of plenty of Greek organizations and philanthropies that go toward helping with organizations linked in some way to childhood cancer. For example, Alpha Delta Pi's national philanthropy is the Ronald McDonald House, a place where families can stay together while their loved one is undergoing treatment. It's often the case that families travel far away to receive the treatments that are needed, and while medical expenses grow, it's not easy to afford a place to stay. The Ronald McDonald House is able to take that worry away by providing a place to stay and a feeling of home to these families.
Reach out, ask around, find a way to help. There are endless opportunities to get involved and every bit helps. Childhood cancer is devastating and something that needs the full attention it so deserves. Children are suffering all over the United States and the suffering doesn't stop with just them. Families and friends are feeling the pain, too. Raise awareness this September, become a part of the cure and always remember to be compassionate, to love deeply and live each day fully. As much as you hope it's not so, you never know when cancer might sneak into your life, too.
