Contact:
Samantha Higgins
Children’s Chance
(803) 254-5996
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in SC
Make a Difference!
Columbia, SC - September 2006: September is nationally recognized as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (CCAM) by 48 states. To help gain awareness of pediatric cancer and have CCAM recognized by all 50 states, we encourage all media outlets to publicize facts about pediatric cancer, feature stories on children and families who are touched by this disease, which are available through the Children’s Chance office, highlight organizations that support pediatric cancer, and publish articles about pediatric cancer and the affects it has on those families who face this difficult battle.
On any given day in South Carolina, over 300 children are in active treatment for cancer. In South Carolina, there are between 150-200 new cases of pediatric cancer every year. This has increased 1% every year for the past 20 years. Childhood Cancer is the number one disease killer of children ages 0-14 in North America. Among African American children aged 1-14, cancer ranks third among the leading cause of death. About 4,000 children die a year from cancer, that’s 11 children every single day, every single year. This year, between 45-50 South Carolina families will lose a child to cancer. Over 80% of families who have a child with a life threatening illness experience divorce, and this is where Children’s Chance steps in to help relieve the financial, emotional, and psychological burden these families face. Although over 70% of all children diagnosed will survive, the number of children being diagnosed is rising every year. These are only a few statistics about pediatric cancer which affects over 300 families in South Carolina each year.
In 1999, Governor Jim Hodges signed a proclamation recognizing September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. This September, in recognition of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Governor Sanford will update the Proclamation, information about childhood cancer will be distributed to schools, churches, media outlets, and throughout the community, and Palmetto Health Richland & Children’s Chance will sponsor a Childhood Cancer Awareness Month Recognition Ceremony at Palmetto Health Richland’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders on the first floor in the Warren Atrium to be held on Friday, August 25th, 2006 from 12:30-1:00. Please honor and remember those who have faced pediatric cancer by wearing a gold ribbon, which is the national symbol of childhood cancer awareness.
Children’s Chance, a local non profit dedicated to helping SC children with cancer and their families will also host a variety of events leading up to and throughout September including a Children’s Chance Day on September 18th at participating Pizza Hut locations throughout the state (check out our website for details or to print a flyer) , “Keys to A Cure” key drives including Movies Under the Stars at Seven Oaks Park on September 2nd, the Women’s Soccer Game against Clemson on September 15th, and The Village at Sandhills on September 16th, and many other activities and events all of which are posted on our new website at: www.childrenschance.org, to help raise education and awareness about the issues surrounding pediatric cancer, and what these families really experience during their difficult battles.
For more information on Childhood Cancer Awareness Month or Children’s Chance and the families we serve, please visit the Children’s Chance website at: www.childrenschance.org, call the office at (803) 254-5996. If you are interested in doing a story about a family facing pediatric cancer, please contact our office or visit the Meet the Families section of the Children’s Chance website.