September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Did you know?
- 43 children are diagnosed with some form of cancer in the US, every day.
- Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death in children under the age of 19 in the US.
- Less than 4% of the National Institutes of Health’s budget is dedicated to childhood cancer research.
For these reasons, we are participating in a “Be Bold, Go Gold!” campaign this September. All pediatric cancers, over 200 of them, are represented by the gold ribbon because ‘gold is a precious metal, and is therefore the perfect color to reflect the most precious thing in our lives—our children.’
In 2018, a young student from Roberts Elementary School, Katelyn Irwin, was perplexed why schools have a “Go Pink” day for Breast Cancer Awareness in October but there was no mention of Childhood Cancer or ‘going gold’ the month prior. Katelyn’s brother, Grayson, had battled cancer from 2013-2015 and she recognized the need to raise awareness for childhood cancer and was ready to do something about it!
Katelyn, now 11 years old, is spearheading her 3rd Annual “Be Bold. Go Gold!” campaign. Over the past two years, she has raised over $8,000 for three local organizations and research for pediatric cancer. All funds raised will be divided between:
- Hang Tough Foundation
- The Marshal Fisher AYA Cancer Fund at UF Health Shands
- Trent’s Touch Foundation
Ways to Participate:
