September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. In Canada, almost one thousand children will be diagnosed with cancer each year. This number is made up largely by leukemia, brain and nervous system cancers; and lymphatic cancers. Unfortunately, in Canada we lose an average of 119 children to childhood cancers each year.
For adolescents and young adults between the ages of 15 and 29, the number increases to 290 losses each year and is more frequent with young men. These losses are made up mostly of leukemia, brain and central nervous system cancers; and bone cancer. Most cancers in the young adult and adolescent age groups consist of cancers with good survivability rates if caught early, including thyroid cancers, testicular cancer, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and melanoma.
Childhood cancers are incredibly difficult to cope with for the patient as well as the family and their communities. There is the emotional turmoil that comes from seeing a child suffer while we can do so little to help them understand the reality of what is going on. The fear that comes with the diagnosis and the unknown as you wait and see what options are available and if they are working. On top of that, there is a lot of costs associated with receiving appropriate treatment for cancer; travel, hotels, time off work, medications, and therapies to name a few.
How can we help as a community to support families working through these difficult times?
In the Comox Valley, we are fortunate to have YANA — You Are Not Alone. This is a community organization that helps families who need to travel for medical treatment either for a child or a pregnancy. They have four fully furnished apartments offered for families who are undergoing treatment at the Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. Their fundraising events are incredibly important for keeping their organization supporting our local families.
In the spirit of September being Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, I encourage you to create, participate, or donate!
