Childhood Cancer Awareness Month — Children's Cancer Cause

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is a time when we celebrate advances in childhood cancer treatment and survivorship care, remember the children we’ve lost, and engage new advocates to join in our mission of achieving a day when every child with cancer can live a long and healthy life.

Will you join us in asking Congress to make childhood cancer a national priority? Add your name to our petition in support of kids with cancer.

Together, we're bridging the gaps in care for children with cancer.

Leukemia survivor Caeleigh is passionate about helping childhood cancer families bridge financial gaps. “I want families to get connected early on to resources that can help them so they can focus on what's most important: helping their child heal,” she says. That’s why she’s creating a financial resource guide for newly diagnosed families.

Caeleigh is one of 36 Children's Cancer Cause College Scholars, and each of them are 'building bridges' in their local communities by leading cancer advocacy projects like this one.

At Children's Cancer Cause, we're focused on building a strong bridge along the full continuum of care, working on policy solutions that will help ensure smooth transitions from the moment a child is diagnosed through to the survivorship clinic and the adult primary care setting. With your support, we're making progress in bridging knowledge gaps among non-oncology physicians, access gaps facing rural and under-served populations, and college tuition gaps facing students like Caeleigh.

On the other side of this bridge is a future where every child with cancer can live a long, healthy life. Thank you for helping us get there.

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SPREAD GOLD AWARENESS

Gold is the color of childhood cancer awareness, and September is its time to shine! Visit the CAC2 Gold Awareness Project for ideas on incorporating gold/yellow on an individual, school, or community-wide level this September.

Join us as a “bridge builder” this September: If a bridge in your community is lighting up gold for September, please share a photo on your social channels or send it to us as info@childrenscause.org. Or get creative and turn yourself gold - with your outfit and/or a sign - and take a selfie with a bridge in the background. Don’t forget to tag us (@childrenscause)! It’s a great way to bring visibility to the mission and help us spread the word about the gaps in care for children with cancer and survivors — and how we are bridging them together.

PARTICIPATE IN A SEPTEMBER 2023 EVENT

Childhood Cancer Data Initiative Community Forum (virtual): September 11 (2:00-3:00pm Eastern)
- Register here

Rally for Medical Research Hill Day: September 14
- Register by September 1 to participate in DC

Congressional Childhood Cancer Summit & Alliance Digital Art Show: September 21
- The co-chairs of the Congressional Childhood Cancer Caucus will host the 14th Annual Childhood Cancer Summit on Thursday, September 21, 2023 in Washington, D.C. All RSVPs should be directed to McKayla Montgomery at mckayla.montgomery@mail.house.gov.
- The Alliance for Childhood Cancer aims to showcase artwork from all 50 states as part of the annual Congressional Childhood Cancer Summit on Capitol Hill. The Digital Art Show will feature a range of different genres -- whether it’s one of your favorite pieces created by your child, or a new work of art they create that illustrates their childhood cancer journey. Submit artwork here by September 15.

CureFest: September 22-24
Children's Cancer Cause is proud to be a bronze sponsor of CureFest, an annual community-building series of events in Washington, DC.
- Register to attend
- Submit a photo to the Tribute Wall

KNOW THE FACTS ABOUT CHILDHOOD CANCER

In 2023, it is estimated that 9,910 children (birth to 14 years) and 5,280 adolescents (aged 15-19 years) will be diagnosed with cancer in the United States.

Childhood cancer is not one disease – there are more than 12 major types of pediatric cancers and over 100 subtypes.
Cancer is the number one cause of death by disease among children. Worldwide, 100,000 children lose their lives every year to cancer.
Only six drugs have been approved in the first instance for use in children. This is compared with hundreds of drugs that have been developed and approved for adults.

Despite numerous clinical trials, a diagnosis of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is typically terminal, with only 10% of DIPG patients surviving for even two years after diagnosis.

More than 95% of childhood cancer survivors will have a significant health related issue by the time they are 45 years of age; these health related issues are side-effects of either the cancer or more commonly, the result of its treatment.

Source: Coalition Against Childhood Cancer (CAC2)

TAKE A LOOK BACK AT AWARENESS MONTH 2022:

In September 2022, our Have a Heart campaign focused on elevating the issue of cardiac late effects in childhood cancer survivors. On September 15th, 2022, we tackled the issue of long-term cardiac effects with a patient-focused drug development meeting to give the Food and Drug Administration a patient perspective to help guide and inform the agency's work. This was an incredibly powerful meeting where families and survivors shared their personal experiences, challenges, and heartbreak caused by cardiotoxicities from pediatric cancer treatment.

Our CEO Steve Wosahla shared reflections on our blog after participating in a flurry of events in Washington, DC, during September of 2022, including meetings on Capitol Hill, a forum at the White House, and the many activities surrounding CureFest. Children's Cancer Cause was proud to be a sponsor and exhibitor at CureFest.