Holidays that recognize pediatric cancer

Did you know there is an entire month that recognizes children and their families that are impacted by childhood cancer? Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is a holiday that takes place during the month of September which does just that. This month is dedicated to all childhood cancers, not one specific type of cancer. During this month, prominent organizations such as St. Jude Children’s Hospital and American Childhood Cancer Organization aim to spread awareness about pediatric cancer as it is the leading cause of death in children under the age of 14 (St. Jude Children’s Hospital). Furthermore, organizations of all sizes raise funds to donate to research initiatives with respect to pediatric cancer. Raising funds is vital because childhood cancer research is underfunded. Less than 4% of the federal budget is dedicated to pediatric cancer research, so fundraisers that are created during this month help organizations make strides in this aspect. Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is symbolized by a golden ribbon, and people wear golden ribbons to reflect their support for pediatric cancer. According to Childhood Cancer International, “gold symbolizes how precious children are and the resiliency of childhood cancer heroes”. In order to participate in Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, people can wear golden ribbons, raise awareness on various social media platforms, and participate or create fundraisers to support pediatric cancer fighters and their families. In the United States, former president George H. W. Bush proclaimed October as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in 1990. While no serious actions were taken to officially declare October as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month this was when the idea was first introduced. On September 26, 2019, September was officially recognized as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month after Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia was inspired by a high school student from George Washington High School. Another holiday that exists to honor childhood cancer patients and their families is International Childhood Cancer Day which is on February 15th. Similar to Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, International Childhood Cancer Day emphasizes spreading awareness. However, International Childhood Cancer Day encourages members of the community to support children and adolescents battling cancer and those that survived cancer. Moreover, one goal of International Childhood Cancer Day is to take steps towards pediatric cancer patients’ having equal access to treatment. International Childhood Cancer Day was created in 2002 by Childhood Cancer International, a network of more than 180 national childhood cancer organizations in 90 countries. Every year, there is a theme that International Childhood Cancer Day reflects; in 2021, the theme was “Better survival is achieved through our hands”. Furthermore, in 2021 Childhood Cancer International and International Society of Pediatric Oncology unveiled a three-year campaign which included the “Tree of Life” and “Advocacy Toolkit to install a stronger sense of hope in families facing pediatric cancer and expedite treatment for childhood cancer patients. More information can be found at this website. Globally, there are hundreds of thousands of young children and adolescents that are diagnosed with cancer every year. Holidays like Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and International Childhood Cancer Day shed light on the challenges these children face, and offer a helping hand through raising money and establishing initiatives to improve the quality of life for these children. To make the future more promising for those fighting childhood cancer, try to show support not only during these holidays, but every day. Sources: https://www.cancer.net/research-and-advocacy/cancer-awareness-dates https://www.healthline.com/health/directory-awareness-months https://www.stjude.org/get-involved/other-ways/childhood-cancer-awareness-month.html https://ccieurope.eu/childhood-cancer-awareness-month-2020/ https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-childhood-cancer-awareness-month-september/ https://internationalchildhoodcancerday.org/ https://siop-online.org/international-childhood-cancer-day/