September brings awareness to childhood cancer

Next month, September, is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

According to the National Cancer Institute, over 10,000 new cases of cancer are expected to be diagnosed in the United States in 2017. It is the leading cause of death from disease among children and adolescents in the United States.

The NCI said that around 1,200 are not expected to survive the disease.

The good news is that child cancer deaths have declined by about 70 percent over the past 40 years. That does not mean we should not continue to work for cures.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

According to the American Childhood Cancer Organization’s website, “The objective of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is to put a spotlight on the types of cancer that largely affect children, survivorship issues, and – importantly – to help raise funds for research and family support.”

Gold ribbons are a common sight throughout September, especially in Enterprise, where fundraising efforts are everywhere. One major fundraising effort is Celebration in the Park event hosted by the Brendan Franco Foundation.

According to the ACCO’s website, gold was chosen as the color for the month around 1997 by a group of parents who were impacted by childhood cancer. Gold is considered a precious metal and is a reminder of another precious thing in a parent’s life: their child.

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, the child is not the only victim. Of course, this can be said of any situation where cancer is diagnosed.

The disease can just as deeply affect the child’s family, his or her friends, and the community in which he or she lives.

Families around the Wiregrass and the City of Enterprise have been affected by child cancer. You may know one of these families personally.

I ask that you support those families and children that are suffering or have suffered from this disease.

Place a gold ribbon somewhere, support a fundraiser (if you feel comfortable doing so), or find any way you can to support the gold movement.

Children are our future. Their health and happiness is just as important as yours or mine. Support the gold movement today.

Cassie Gibbs is a staff writer for The Southeast Sun and Daleville Sun-Courier. The opinions of this writer are her own and not the opinion of the paper. She can be reached at (334) 393-2969 or by email at [email protected].