Going Gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month // Life

It's just a quick (but IMPORTANT) one from me today as I have a pile of stuff to do, not to mention that I am braving the crowds and taking the girls to see the Feathered Friends & Reptiles show at the local shopping market. I usually try to avoid the shops at all costs in school holidays, but after taking Punky to see the reptiles at the other shopping centre last holidays, I know she is going to love it. And please, I'd prefer chocolate rather than the standard Mother of the Year trophy, thank you very much!

If you read my Linky Lovin' Friday post last week you would have seen me mention that Tamara from Pin Worthy Parties is urging bloggers to Go Gold and help raise the profile for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

I've been a little teary while writing this post. Cancer is very close to my heart, having had not one but two close relatives pass away from this insidious disease last year. We lost my Aunty and Uncle (my Mum's big sister and big brother) within 3 months of each other and it was devastating for the entire family. They aren't the only family members we've had touched by cancer though.

In the last years of her life my Grandmother suffered with Leukaemia (the cancer that took my Uncle) and died from complications as a result of hospitalisation for it. My Father has been treated, and is now in remission from prostate cancer, something which my Grandfather is still recovering from after surgery himself in the last 18 months.

And way back before I was born, when my Cousin S was only very young in the 70s, he suffered from Leukaemia as well. Thankfully his treatment was successful, and we celebrated his 40th birthday back in 2012.

Too many children aren't that lucky. Over 30 years later, childhood cancer is one of the leading causes of death in children aged 0-14 years old, with over 600 children diagnosed each year in Australia alone. That is a staggering statistic.

600 families every year face the very real prospect of their children not making it to their 40th birthdays. 600 families each year face the emotional and physical realities of a very sick child. In my opinion, this is 600 families too many.

When you add in the families of every person diagnosed with cancer, the numbers are staggering. With 1 in 2 men, and 1 in 3 women diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85 in Australia, you're one very lucky bastard if cancer hasn't touched your life in some way or another.

I have been a monthly donor to the Cancer Council of Australia since I got my very first job. When I sat down and thought about what charity I wanted to support with my money, it was a no-brainer for me. With my family's history, not to mention the statistics I've listed above, the likelihood that myself, my girls or Dave may one day have to fight cancer is very real.

Pin it!

I hope and pray and donate my money, in the hope that one day we will find a cure for cancer. That we will be able to find a way to stop this disease before it even happens. That we will be able to one day say that those 600 families won't have to worry about the chances of their children's 40th birthdays being taken away from them by cancer.

What can you do?

You can start by making a donation to one of the cancer charities listed here. But I know that not everyone has the cash to be able to make a monetary contribution. You could also volunteer at your local children's hospital or somewhere like Ronald McDonald house, or donate blood. Help to raise awareness by sharing this post, Tamara's post, the websites of the Cancer Council and other cancer fund-raising charities can make a big difference. People can't donate if they are not aware or don't know where to go. Show them where to go.

Hopefully we can, if not in my lifetime, then certainly in my daughter's lifetimes, rid the world of this insidious disease, and one of the biggest killers of Australians, both young and old, once and for all.

For more information, visit these websites - 
Go Gold Australia
Cancer Council Australia
The Kids' Cancer Project
Children's Cancer Institute

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