International Childhood Cancer Day is celebrated annually on February 15 to raise awareness and to express support for children and adolescents with cancer, survivors and their families, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) website.
ICCD is based on Childhood Cancer International’s belief that every child with cancer deserves the best possible medical and psychosocial care, regardless of country of origin, race, financial status or social class. It is also anchored on the premise that childhood cancer deaths are avoidable, with timely and accurate diagnosis, availability and access to proper treatment and care, as well as affordable, good quality essential medicines.
Children and adolescents are the heart of every community and nation. Each year, more than 170,000 children are diagnosed with cancer worldwide – a disease that touches all regions of the world and impacts countless families and communities. With access to quality care, more than 80% of children with cancer can survive, living full and healthy lives.
In the United States, 13,500 children 19 and under are diagnosed each year or 36 children diagnosed each day.
Sadly, childhood cancer robs these children of their childhood and youth. A cancer diagnosis shatters every sense of “normal life” for children, adolescents and their families. The effects of cancer can be seen on the families, siblings and parents, but mainly on the children and adolescents themselves. At the age of innocence, enjoyment and pure joy, kids with cancer are faced with difficult and demanding situations, isolating them for long periods of time from friends and family.
On the average, one in every four elementary schools has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are current or former cancer patients. No area of the country is immune.
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