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.

I want you to know...

September was Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.  I'm guessing that most of you didn't know that.  That is, unless you know me personally.  I've been spreading the word every chance I get.  The logo, above, has been my profile pic on Facebook for about the past 6 weeks.  The reason I feel so strongly about this, is due to the death of our 18 year old nephew in May of this year.  Matthew battled ALL (one of the types of leukemia) for 20 months.  Tomorrow will be the 5 month anniversary of his passing.  When I say that Matthew battled....he fought hard. He was truly an inspiration!   His motto was "Play hard...never give up".  And, he lived that motto to the very end.

You can see a photo of Matthew in the left hand column of this blog.  He's the handsome young man in the helmet.  I really don't want this blog post to be depressing.  But, unless a child in your family has fought cancer, you can't know how devastating it can be to the entire family.  We all recognize the pink ribbons for Breast Cancer Awareness, not just in October, but throughout the year.  But how many people are aware of what the Gold ribbon means?  Why does the media not devote coverage to Childhood Cancer Awareness?  I wish I knew the answers.

The following statistics are from the website:  Gold: The New Pink
You can follow the link to find more information, but I would especially like for you to read the following statistics from their site.  I think you'll be surprised by these facts.

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
I hope that you've read all the way to the end of this post.  This cause is something near and dear to my heart.  I want so much to see a search for the cure of all childhood cancers.  CureSearch is trying to do just that.  It's an excellent organization and you might want to consider contributing to their fight for the cure.
Thank you for reading my blog.  Next time, I'll be back with a papercrafting project  :)