Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
Effective Date: Saturday, September 1st, 2012
WHEREAS, Alaska’s children are our greatest resource. Childhood cancer is especially tragic, rarely occurring, as approximately one percent of all cancers diagnosed in a year; and
WHEREAS, a great number of children, ten percent of whom are infants, are nevertheless impacted by childhood cancer. It is estimated that 12,060 children in the United States will be diagnosed in 2012 – on average, the equivalent of two classrooms of children per day; and
WHEREAS, childhood cancer, the most common forms of which are leukemia, brain cancer, and cancer of the central nervous system, is the second leading cause of death for children under 15 years old, the most frequent cause of childhood death by disease, and is expected to take the lives of 1,340 American children in 2012; and
WHEREAS, although the causes of childhood cancer are largely unknown, research has advanced its successful treatment and offered a better quality of life to children coping with cancer and the side-effects of treatment. Five-year survival rates have increased dramatically for all forms of childhood cancer, while the percentage of patients surviving into adulthood has climbed from 30 percent to 80 percent in the past 30 years; and
WHEREAS, the toll cancer takes on a child and family is unimaginable. A child-patient’s expectations of a healthy, normal life, education, and growth may be put on hold, while parents must cope with high treatment costs, stress, and the difficulties associated with caring for their family while being with their child for treatment, often having to travel or relocate to do so; and
WHEREAS, throughout this month we remember that these burdens are shared by countless dedicated healthcare professionals, organizations, and parent advocacy groups which support patients and families by offering advice, encouragement, hope, and financial assistance, and work tirelessly to lift the spirits of children suffering from cancer.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Sean Parnell, Governor of the State of Alaska, do hereby proclaim September 2012 as:
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
in Alaska, and encourage all Alaskans to support families coping with childhood cancer, offer encouragement to patients, remember lost loved ones, and appreciate the efforts of those who work to treat and support children experiencing cancer.
Dated: August 24, 2012
