CHILDHOOD CANCER

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The objective of this month is to spotlight childhood cancer and survivorship issues related to childhood cancer nationally. My knowledge of childhood cancer is limited so I went online to read up on the subject. I can only provide some facts here because I don't, thankfully, have any first hand knowledge or interaction with childhood cancer.

Childhood cancer is almost a misnomer, because those who survive the disease actually have it for life. The lifelong impact of having cancer as a child is just one of the messages that should be shared during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and every month of the year.

Cancer is diagnosed in approximately 12,400 children between birth and age 19 years in the United States each year. Cancers that are common among adults (e.g., lung, breast prostate, colon) are rare in children and adolescents. Among the 12 major types of childhood caners, leukemias and cancers of the brain and central nervous system represent more that 50 percent of new cases. Leukemias account for about one-third of cancers in children. Childhood cancer is the most common cause of death by disease for young people in the United States.

Since 1970, the overall survival rate for childhood cancer has improved dramatically, with a close to 80 percent five-year survival today. Currently there are an estimated 270,000 survivors of childhood cancer living in the United States.

Just because a child survives cancer, however, does not mean that he or she is home free. Cancer in children tends to be more aggressive than that seen in adults, and thus treatment is aggressive as well. The impace of vigorous treatment administered when children are growing and their brains and other organs and systems are developing can be devastating and long-lasting.

Someone I knew from our old church has a son who was diagnosed with a rare form of sarcoma a few months ago. I read the updates sent out and pray regularly for this little boy. I've done a lot of thinking about what it would be like to have a child with cancer. I think one can only imagine such a thing to a small degree.

I know what it's like to receive a diagnosis, the emotional drain of processing that information, and going through chemo. I think as a parent of a child diagnosed with cancer, you would be the one to deal with the diagnosis and acceptance of that diagnosis while not being able to do anything but watch (and pray) for your child who has to go through any physical pain that might exist and deal with the effects of chemo therapy. I think that would be one of the hardest things an adult could go through.

Having a month to spotlight such a heart-breaking issue is a good thing but let's not forget these children, and their families, the other eleven months.

If you would like more information or visit sites that help continue the fight against childhood cancers, check out the links on my sidebar.