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September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

By: Emily Loseke, a sophomore at Leigh High School on September 24, 2018

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It is always all around us, but we tell ourselves that it could never happen to us. “Those people were just unlucky; it was just a fluke,” we think. And we let ourselves take comfort in those words.  We believe them… at least for a little while.

That’s how cancer gets you. It sneaks up behind you, when you’re least expecting it. Then while you’re in a daze, everything comes crashing down. For everyone, cancer seems impossible, but all it takes to alter one’s life forever is the utterance of one word…

I

t was a regular doctor visit; everything was normal. Then there was that one word, and before we knew it, we were being whisked away to another doctor’s office. All we kept hearing was that word over and over again. After trying to process it, I finally cried out in exhaustion and desperation.

“Why?” And then that little voice inside snickered, “Why not?”

That’s how cancer strikes. In that moment, that word becomes real. It’s no longer just a word; it’s pain, feelings, helplessness, and, as we all learn, eventually hope.

“I can’t believe it— Cancer.”

The above scenario is far too common in the lives of millions of Americans each year.  We never truly understand how lucky we really are until that one day, when everything suddenly changes. Whether you have been affected by it personally, or dealt with it through a loved one, cancer is real. It’s tough, and it’s everywhere.

Cancer hits hard no matter what stage of life its victims are, but cancer is most devastating when it affects a child.  

In reflection of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and in honor of the amazing children fighting the battle, I believe we should all dig a little deeper into the word cancer and realize how extraordinary children battling cancer truly are.

According to the American Cancer Society in a 2017 article, about 1,180 children under the age of 15 are expected to die from cancer this year. But when cancer is the second leading cause of death in children, it shouldn't come as a surprise.

What people really don’t understand is that while cancer survival rates are rising, the incidences of childhood cancer are increasing as well. According to statistics researched by Coalition Against Childhood Cancer, 43 children a day are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in the United States alone. That’s 15,780 children under the age of 19 who are diagnosed with cancer each year.  With 17% dying within 5 years of diagnosis, these children are truly fighting a battle.

It doesn’t help matters that childhood cancer only received 4% of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) budget in 2015. To elucidate on this the issue even more, prostate cancer, a single type of cancer that adults face, receives more research funding than all 12 types of childhood cancer combined, and since 1980, only three drugs have been approved for children. Not only are children fighting a battle, but they’re fighting a battle without defense, aid, or weapons of their own.

As of this day, there are only a total of 8 drugs that are approved for use in children for cancer, compared to the hundreds approved for adults only. I always thought children were our future, not the other way around, but facts don’t lie.

Not only are children fighting the same harrowing battle as adults, but they’re doing it with little help from money or medicine. Instead they use their persistence, their love, and their happiness.

Some of the best times I’ve ever had were spent with my now 11-year-old cousin. She’s fighting cancer herself and is actually blind because of it, but she’s never let that stop her. She makes jokes, gives “noogies,” plays hide and seek, goes to school, and gives hugs. She’s one of the happiest people I know. She’s truly extraordinary just like the thousands of others going through the same thing.

As any child faced with cancer knows, cancer is life-changing.  But children are powerful, and it’s our job to enable them to see that. So, in honor of all children everywhere, tell a child you love them, tell them they’re amazing, and tell them that they can change the world.   Whether they have cancer or not, no child should be left out. After al,l as I’ve found out, each day’s a gift, not a promise, so cherish it.

“Why?” I find that word popping up in my daily vocabulary now along with chemotherapy, neuroblastoma, tumors, and just plain, “Help.”

Everything I once knew is backwards now. It’s not lucky or unlucky; it’s not luck at all. It’s not never; it’s when. It’s not them; it’s us.

And even though cancer is still a bad thing, I’ve come to realize that my family has grown stronger, closer, and more enthusiastic through it all and has definitely benefited nonetheless, which just goes to show how strong we all truly are.

And through it all, I’ve learned one thing especially: never give up.

Don’t give up on yourself, on happiness, on others, on fun, on family, on life, or on tomorrow. And if these children, who I’ve come to know and love have shown me anything, it’s never give up on love because love will never give up on you.

So whether you’re in the middle of treatment, are going through surgery, or are living life to the fullest, I want to tell all of those children out there and especially the ones fighting the battle, “Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and may God bless you. You really have changed the world.”