Only 3 - 5 per cent of cancer research funding goes to kids
Like every morning since my son died, I woke up thinking about him. I walked by his room, opened his door and said good morning Xavier. I do this every day just as I kiss his urn at night when I say good night Xavier.
Most days my rituals and constant thoughts about losing my son to childhood cancer are in solidarity and go unrecognized.
But today was different. Today starts the beginning of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Flashes of gold excited my eyes as I scrolled through my social media feeds to see posts and stories of our tiny heroes with cancer. I feel an army behind Xavier and the 10,000-plus children living with cancer. In my grief, I am comforted by this sea of gold and that alone is worth supporting childhood cancer awareness month.
Although events and publicity supporting childhood cancer has increased, it's still not enough. The funding for such a heart-wrenching cause still falls short - especially with Canada'a largest funder of cancer research.
Not a single gold ribbon could be found on the Canadian Cancer Society's website on the first day of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. In fact, the first banner to show up on their website is pink-inspired - registration for the CIBC Run for a Cure. There was a second banner about "Canada's youngest cancer fighters" which is also their Twitter account banner, but not a single tweet recognized September as Childhood Cancer Awareness. On the eve of a month supposed to give recognition to our children with cancer was a tweet about sugar-free September and pink shirts. (Earlier this year the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation merged with Canadian Cancer Society).
In the past 45 years, only three new drugs have been developed for the treatment of childhood cancers. Although survival rates for childhood cancers have increased, close to 200 children die each year - the majority from aggressive brain tumours.
In 2016, the Canadian Cancer Society allocated $42.8 million to fund over 400 projects. That is almost as much as they have invested in childhood cancer research over the past 15 years. Can you imagine the breakthroughs if our largest cancer charity threw more support behind childhood cancer research? Just think of the trials, drugs and better treatments that could be developed if properly funded.
I read through the one-page article on childhood cancer (that does mention September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month) and a single line stopped me in my tracks.
"Although childhood cancers account for less than 1% of all cancers diagnosed in Canada, they take a significant toll on Canadian families"
To me, the "although childhood cancers account for less than 1% of all cancers..." was hurtful and downplayed the significance of childhood cancer. Just because fewer children are diagnosed with the disease makes it no less important than any other cancer. What about the number of years of life lost?
The average life expectancy in Canada for a man is 80. My son lost a potential 73 years of life. Of the almost 200 children who die each year from cancer, that is a lot of life lost, a lot of milestones missed and a lot of potential dead.
Diagnosed before his first birthday, Xavier never got a chance to live life without cancer unlike those diagnosed as an adult. He lived his entire life with cancer.
That is why childhood cancer awareness matters... because kids are dying without ever having the chance to live life without cancer! Kids are dying before they even have the chance to choose a healthy lifestyle to prevent cancers that affect many adults. These kids are our future and the number of diagnosis will increase and then what? If we don't find better treatments and cures now, the future generation of adults will be limited. Start at the beginning and stop cancer before adulthood. Give our kids a chance to be kids!
Fund Childhood Cancer research!