Did you know that September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month? This is a special time reserved in remembrance of the children we have lost, those who have been saved, and the families who have had to face these terrible ordeals. It is also a good time to encourage people to help raise more money for ongoing cancer research and support programs which have made such a difference for patients and their families.
We wish that no child would ever have to experience the pain and suffering of cancer, nor that any parent ever had to endure the indescribable pain of losing their young one to one of these diseases. However, this is sadly far from the reality of things, since a parent somewhere is told that their child has cancer every three minutes. The current estimations show that a child will succumb to cancer every four hours.
The Stats on Childhood Cancer
Needless to say, the pediatric cancer statistics are quite shocking. You’d think that since nearly one in every 330 kids develops cancer before the age of 19, there would be plenty of funding provided for ongoing research. However, pediatric AIDS still receives more funding, despite cancer being the number one cause of death in children under the age of 15. As it stands, the National Cancer Institute allocates less than 5 percent of its annual budget specifically for childhood cancer research.
Think about this for a second: if it were October right now, you’d probably have already seen a number of ads on television talking about how its Breast Cancer Awareness Month and you should think about donating some money for research and support. Now we don’t want you to take this the wrong way, because this is a very important public health awareness event. It’s just that things seem to have become a bit skewed in recent years. Arguably, just as much attention should be called to National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. By the way, there is a support ribbon for childhood cancer awareness if you are interested; just look for the gold ones.
The Difference Between Childhood and Adult Cancer Patients
One of the primary issues that the experts and researchers are still grappling with is the origin of most childhood cancers. You see, with most adult forms of cancer, scientists have been able to show how certain lifestyle habits can contribute to the development of a patient’s disease. This just isn’t possible for most cases of pediatric cancer. This is not the only obstacle that oncologists face when treating their younger patients either. Cancer clinical trials have not produced a new treatment for the deadliest forms of pediatric cancer in more than 30 years (only one new drug has been approved for pediatric use in the last 20 years…).
Every child deserves the chance to live a life that is full of opportunities and rich experiences. Throughout National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we would like to extend our support and love to any families and young warriors who are currently fighting for that chance. As more people continue to recognize the importance of this month, we will continue to take steps forward in our ongoing journey to live in a world that is truly cancer-free.