Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
Families , caregivers , charities and research groups across the United States observe September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month . In the U . S ., nearly 16,000 children under the age of 21 are diagnosed with cancer every year ; approximately 1 / 4 of them will not survive the disease .
A diagnosis turns the lives of the entire family upside down . 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 .
Most childhood cancers fall into one of several specific types , as listed to the right . Common adult cancers ( lung , breast , colon , and others ) rarely occur in children or adolescents . Childhood cancers tend to be more aggressive than
Brett Dault
adult cancers .
Childhood cancers are rare , and only specially-trained doctors have the knowledge and experience to properly treat them . In fact , your child needs to be treated by a multidisciplinary team of pediatric oncology physicians and specialists . The team includes the primary care physician , pediatric surgical sub-specialists , radiation oncologists , pediatric medical oncologists / hematologists , rehabilitation specialists , pediatric nurse specialists , social workers , and others . This approach ensures that your child will receive the treatment , supportive care , and rehabilitation therapies that will give him or her , the best chance at not only survival , but a good quality of life .
More than 10,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year . Leukemia ’ s , which are cancers of the bone marrow and blood , are the most common childhood cancers . They account for about 30 % of all cancers in children . The most common types in children are Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia ( ALL ) and Acute Myelogenous Leukemia ( AML ).
For the past couple of years , we ’ ve followed the fight of one local boy , Landon , since shortly after his being diagnosed with ALL . Now in remission , this spry five year will be named Winter Garden ’ s Local
16 | WINTER GARDEN MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2018