September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness month; we encourage everyone to “Go Gold” with the goal to shed some light, and increase awareness, for those affected by this terrible disease. Here are some facts about pediatric cancer: according to the American Childhood Cancer Organization (2019), each year there is an estimated 15,780 children aged 0-19 diagnosed with cancer in the U.S; approximately 1:285 children will be diagnosed before their 20thbirthday… that’s a pretty scary statistic. It becomes even scarier when you receive that diagnosis for your own child.
I’ve worked as a staff nurse and nurse leader in Pediatric Oncology, and although kids are surprisingly (and extraordinarily) resilient, sadly some do not survive, even with the best doctors, and most up-to-date protocols… but we never stop fighting, and we never, ever give up! And the kids and their parents…well, they become superheroes and fight like champions against this heartless, evil “villain” living inside them.
Taylor Swift performed her song Ronan on the Stand Up For Cancer fundraiser event several years ago; she wrote the song in memory of a 4 year-old boy (Ronan) who passed away from cancer after reading a blog written by the boy’s mother, Maya Thompson. The following is a link to her performance:
References:
American Childhood Cancer Organization. (2019). About ACCO. Retrieved from https://acco.org
Swift, T. (2012). Ronan. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/tvN7BOAQn9I
Nurse's Notes 