🎗️ Going Gold 🎗️
For those of you not aware, September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Today, in fact, is Childhood Cancer Awareness Day. This day, and this month, is all about raising awareness and “going gold” in honor and support of children with cancer. Gold is the color of the childhood cancer ribbon; a color I’m all-too familiar with.
When my sister was eleven-years-old, she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma—the ribbon color for that is lime green—and life was never the same. My parents traveled back-and-forth from the house to MUSC in Charleston, South Carolina. That’s a two-hour drive, but it’s a trip they both made regularly, and I also tagged along on many of these trips to visit my little sister in the hospital.
There is nothing more gut-wrenching than hearing that your little sister, who, as the eldest, you’re supposed to protect and look out for, has been diagnosed with cancer. I don’t remember how late it was when Ma called Dad and I from the local hospital to inform us that they were going to be transferred to Charleston. I don’t remember any details of the call except the words, “There’s a mass in her stomach.” I don’t think there are any words in any written or spoken language that can adequately describe how I felt immediately after hearing those words. It’s still, to this day, one of the worst feelings I’ve ever felt.
Pediatric cancer will affect about 42 families today, tomorrow, and the next day. 42 families will learn that their child has cancer today, and another 42 families will learn the same thing tomorrow. Globally, about 400,000 children are diagnosed with cancer every year. Cancer is the number one cause of death by disease in children in the United States, with approximately 1,090 children predicted to pass away from the disease this year.
As of 2022, however, more than 521,000 pediatric cancer survivors were living in the United States. Approximately 1 in 530 adults between the ages of 20 and 39 is a survivor of childhood cancer. The five-year survival rate for all pediatric cancers combined has increased from 63% (1970s) to 87% (2015-2021). However, among the children who survive five years from diagnosis, 18% of them will pass away over the next 25 years.
Here are some more facts:
Childhood cancer survivors reported higher rates of pain, fatigue, and sleep difficulties.
Siblings of children with cancer are at risk for emotional and/or behavioral difficulties, such as anxiety, depression, and even post-traumatic stress disorder.
Symptoms of PTSD are also well-documented for the parents of children diagnosed with cancer.
1 in 5 children who receive a diagnosis of cancer are already living in poverty.
1 in 4 families lose more than 40% of their annual household income as a result of childhood cancer treatment related work disruptions, while 1 in 3 families face other work disruptions such as having to quit their job or change jobs.
The facts of pediatric cancer are devastating; it is not a fate I wish on anyone.
Over the summer, I had the pleasure of volunteering as a photographer with Camp Happy Days, a local non-profit that helps kids with pediatric cancer forget about cancer and enjoy being a kid. It’s a wonderful organization and an incredibly rewarding experience volunteering for them. I got to capture many beautiful moments and memories, including one of the kids tubing for the first time.
Today, let’s take a moment to remember the kids and families who are experiencing, have experienced, or will experience pediatric cancer, and support the organizations that help these kids. Let’s go gold for them.
