September marks an array of events.
It’s the glorious time when children go back to school, the temperatures start to dip and pumpkin everything hits the shelves.
Little Italy has its massive Feast of San Gennaro, and everyone is trying to find out what he or she should be for Halloween.
With all this busyness and the addition of new routines, many forget one of the biggest things September represents: Childhood Cancer Awareness month.
According to the American Childhood Cancer Organization, "childhood cancer kills more children than any other disease in America."
The organization explains that “treatment for children’s bodies remain frustratingly out-of-reach,” and treatment plans also leave parents with an enormous amount of hospital bills and debt.
Living on Long Island, cancer has been a big and unfortunate common occurrence within my family and friends.
Ask anyone you know on the Island, and he or she will probably know someone who battled this horrible disease.
For me, it was always an adult, and for the most part, it was breast cancer. It wasn’t until recently that a good friend of mine's child had a friend battling this disease.
It's one thing for an adult to have to deal with chemotherapy, but for a child, it’s just heartbreaking.
A child’s biggest worry should be nothing more than who he or she is going to play with on the playground, not how he or she is going to fight to live.
Besides spotting a few gold ribbons, which is the official ribbon for Childhood Cancer Awareness month, I also noticed a new trend popping up across my Facebook feed.
Several mothers and families in my area have started a new fun and very viral trend to get Childhood Cancer Awareness on the minds of others.
The Whipping Childhood Cancer Challenge is the same concept as the Ice Bucket Challenge. Supporters call out friends and family on their Facebook pages, challenging them to donate and have whipped cream pies thrown in their faces.
Through the Whipping Childhood Cancer non-profit, I learned that the average age of death for a child with cancer is 8, and every day, 46 children are diagnosed and seven lose their lives.
They are bone-chilling statistics that I would never guess to be that high.
There are many organizations and sites that can help you volunteer, donate or even just get educated.
Unfortunately, for my friend, her daughter’s friend lost his battle last year. He put up a good fight, and the community is still working to donate and bring his spirit to life a year later.
So, I challenge all parents out there to take time out of their busy days and ask your kids to pass along the Whipping Challenge.
Let's whip cancer in the butt!
