Families, caregivers, charities and research groups across the United States observe September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
The concept for the Gold Ribbon In September (G9) was created by Annie Bartosz, only 11-years-old at the time, who saw the nation turn pink in October for Breast Cancer, and became determined to turn the world GOLD IN SEPTEMBER for kids battling cancer. Combining gold (G) as the national color for childhood cancer and September (9) the ninth month, as the recognized National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, G9 was born.
Traveling around the country for various treatments with her twin brother Jack, who had his own fight with pediatric cancer, Annie was eyewitness to the critical need for advancement in research and treatments. Annie said, “When a child is diagnosed with cancer it affects the family and the community. It’s devastating. My goal is to get everyone thinking about and wearing gold in September so we can bring an end to childhood cancer.”
Some of the Numbers:
Each day, 42 families in the United States will receive the devastating news that their child or teen has cancer.
In the U.S., 15,780 children under the age of 21 are diagnosed with cancer every year; approximately 1/4 of them will not survive the disease.
10,270: The number of new childhood cancer cases expected to be diagnosed in the U.S. this year for kids ages 0 to 14, according to the National Cancer Institute.
1,190: The estimate for how many children are expected to die from cancer this year, per the NCI.
$625,000: This is a general figure for the cost of treating neuroblastoma, This figure can also vary based on where a patient receives care and their individual treatment. This number, too, refers to the cost of providing care for the patient and is not the amount billed.
US News and World Report’s list of “Best Hospitals for Pediatric Cancer
1. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
2. Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders
Centers
3. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
4. Texas Children’s Hospital
5. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
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As a vision care professional my Blogs for the rest of September will concentrate on two types of childhood cancers that affect vision Neuroblastoma and Retinoblastoma.
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