WHEREAS, our most precious resource is our children and their well-being is vital to a bright future for Alaska; and
WHEREAS, receiving a cancer diagnosis is distressing at any age, but it is even more heartbreaking when the patient is a child, pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death from disease in children; and
WHEREAS, the most common types of cancer in childhood are leukemia, lymphoma, and brain and other central nervous system tumors; and
WHEREAS, although there are many treatment options for children with cancer diagnoses, the type of treatment correlates with the type of cancer and how it has spread, but common treatment methods in battling childhood cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and stem cell transplant; and
WHEREAS, childhood cancer occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socio-economic class, or geographical region, and the causes of most childhood cancers are unknown and cannot be prevented; and
WHEREAS, while the cause of most childhood cancers remains unknown, scientists and doctors are continually developing more effective methods of cancer treatment and diagnosis, giving our youth a better chance at the long and successful lives they deserve.
NOW THEREFORE, I, Mike Dunleavy, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF ALASKA, do hereby proclaim the month of September, 2023 as:
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
in Alaska, and encourage all Alaskans to help raise awareness for a cause that deeply impacts families in our communities and support those affected by this devastating disease.
Dated: September 1, 2023
