Thursday, September 1, 2011

September - the color is Gold

You're probably wondering what that title means.  Well, September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.  And the ribbon color is Gold.
From the website: www.godthenewpink.net
We all know that October is breast cancer awareness month, right?  We know that the ribbon is pink.
Most of you probably didn't know that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.  Am I right again?  I'm doing whatever I can to spread the word.  On previous visits to my blog, have you noticed the gold and orange ribbon in the right sidebar?  There is also a photo of our nephew, Matthew.
Matthew is the reason that I feel so strongly about making people aware of childhood cancer.  Matt fought ALL (a type of leukemia) for 18 months.  And he fought hard.  His motto was "Play Hard, Never Give Up".  He never gave up, but his body couldn't fight it any longer.  Matt was just 18 years old when he died in May of 2010.  We miss him so very much.

Matthew was a wonderful young man!  He loved any activities that involved the outdoors.  Hunting, snowmobiles, 4 wheelers, water skiing.  And getting dirty (or muddy) was just part of the fun.  He had a dry sense of humor.  And his eyes could convey so much!  Here are a few pics of Matthew.


I saw what childhood cancer did to him.  And, I continue to see how it has affected his family.  Matthew's Mom wrote updates on a Caring Bridge site (similar to a blog) for the entire time that Matt was ill.  This was a way for everyone to see what was going on.  I'm including a link to the last post.  Marcia describes what life is like now, without Matthew.   Matt's Caring Bridge page

I'm not writing this post to depress anyone.  I'm writing this because I want EVERYONE to be aware of Childhood Cancer.  The more people that are aware, the more funding there will be for research. The more research, the closer we get to a cure.   I know of so many children that have lost their battle with cancers.  We have to do everything we can to prevent and cure these cancers.  I don't want other families to go through what Matthew's family is going through.  I don't want other kids to go through what Matthew did.

If you still reading this post...I appreciate it.  Truly.  Stay with me a little longer.  I'd like to share some statistics that, I think, will shock you.  Please read them.
did you know?
• Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children.
• The National Cancer Institute’s federal budget=$4.6 billion. Pediatric cancers received less than 3% of it.
• Overall, one out of every five children diagnosed with cancer dies. In some forms of cancer, as few as one out of every five children will live.• Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults.
• Approximately 20% of adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet nearly 80% of children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis.
• The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents).
• Nationally, childhood cancer is 20 times more prevalent than pediatric AIDS yet pediatric AIDS receives four times the funding that childhood cancer receives.
• On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year.
• In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer every single school day.

*statistics courtesy of Team Unite


This information is from the site:  GoldTheNewPink  You can follow the link to visit their site.
And I want to include a link to another organization that is working toward a cure.  CureSearch

So, to close...please remember that pink isn't the only ribbon color.  Think GOLD.  Remember GOLD.  And please spread the word.

2 comments:

  1. What an amazing, inpsirational post.
    Thank you so much for sharing and enlightening me to think gold!

    ReplyDelete

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