September is declared Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The symbol of this month is a golden ribbon which is worn to commemorate the awareness month.
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (CCAM) is an international event and it is celebrated across the globe to raise awareness about childhood cancers and their impact on the suffering people and their families.
The awareness month also raises funds and supports the affected of childhood cancer. The main goal is to increase awareness about the ailment across the globe.
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
Every year in September, extra efforts are done by different NGOs and healthcare sector to raise awareness about childhood cancer and the patients suffering from it. The families of the patients, the survivors, and many other volunteers gather to commemorate this event across the globe.
It is an important event that showcases the unmatched support to the suffering children and strengthens their hope to beat this illness.
To spread awareness about childhood cancer it is mandatory to have ample knowledge about this disease and what are the most common types of it. Let’s have a look:
Childhood cancer
Cancer is one of the leading ailments that result in death in children. It is also common in the adolescent years. The survival chances in patients with childhood cancer largely depend upon the country they live in. In the first world, the survival chances are approximately 80% but the chances decrease to merely 30% in underdeveloped nations.
The fewer chances of survival in low-income territories are because of delayed diagnosis, the inability of accuracy in diagnosis, treatment being abandoned halfway, side effects, and relapse.
Here are some of the key factors of childhood cancer:
- Every year about 400,000 children and adolescents between the age of 0-19 years develop cancer of different types.
- The most common kinds of cancer in children are brain cancers, leukemia, solid tumors, lymphomas like Wilms tumors, and neuroblastoma.
- Childhood cancer cannot be identified or prevented through screening, unfortunately.
- Most cancers in childhood can be cured with the help of generic medicine along with radiotherapy and surgery but the treatment is expensive.
What causes childhood cancer?
Cancer is a disease that can occur at any age and can affect any body part. Usually, it begins with a genetic mutation of a cell and grows into a tumor (mass). It starts to invade other parts of the body as well which causes pain and discomfort, and if left untreated then results in the death of the patient.
Just like cancers in adults, there is not a common cause known for childhood cancer. Cancer in children is preventable if diagnosed at an early stage.
Childhood cancer can lead to many infections as the immune system of the body becomes very weak. Chronic diseases like malaria, Epstein-Barr virus, and HIV can attack the body more easily as compared to a healthy child.
It is very important that the children suffering from cancer get proper treatment and get their vaccination on time because the chances of relapse always remain even if the patient has been clear of cancer.
Treatment of childhood cancer
The treatment of cancer is painful and prolonged. The treatment starts with the diagnosis and then the correct therapy is required to combat certain kinds of cancer.
The therapy can be radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or surgery.
It is mandatory to give children exclusive attention and dedicated treatment with the help of a team as the treatment involves diagnosis, pathology, medication, blood transfusion, radiation, etc. all of this is possible with the help of a supportive team that is equally disciplined and committed to making the child cancer-free.
It is sad to say that not every child gets cured of cancer. The care system and treatment to improve the quality of life and relieve the patient from pain and other symptoms of cancer but it doesn’t guarantee that the child will be cancer free for life.
It is a lot of hard work and the treatment and care need to be continued for life so that the disease does not relapse.
How to be a part of the 2022 childhood cancer awareness campaign?
There are a lot of ways by which you can be part of childhood cancer awareness month. You can raise awareness about the ailment and raise funds for the kids who are battling this disease.
Here are some ways how to do it.
Hosting an event
You can host an event that can be a fundraiser for the affected. Even though this can be done any time of the year but because September is declared as the month of awareness therefore the event will draw more attention.
You can join any event also where you can learn about how to fight this disease and be a part of fundraising activity.
Donation drive
Be part of a donation drive. If you cannot host or join an event for childhood cancer awareness, then you can simply be part of the awareness campaign by giving donations for the cause or convincing others to donate to this noble cause. The donation is used for helping the children get treatment as well as for the research and development of medicines and other vaccines.
Social media representation
You can be part of a childhood cancer awareness campaign this year by taking part actively on social media. You can show support for the awareness program by sharing a picture related to childhood cancer on any of your social media platforms and adding the hashtag #GoldSeptember. This will showcase it to the world and more people will try to get awareness of childhood cancer.
Conclusion
Childhood cancer is one of the most common causes of death in children and adolescent kids. It is important to spread awareness regarding this disease and how to support the children battling it.
September is declared as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The awareness needs to spread across the globe so that more children can be cured. It is important that the message reaches the masses so that funds and donations can be collected in order to be used in treating the patients as well as helping the R&D area of childhood cancer.