Glow gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
Will you be glowing gold this month? We are!
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month - a campaign very close to our hearts at It’s good 2 give.
For over ten years we have been fundraising to help support young people with cancer.
The campaign focuses on increasing awareness of cancer in children and glowing gold shows your support.
The Facts*
In the UK and Ireland, around five children are diagnosed with cancer each week. Thats around 1820 each year.
This figure has increased 10% in the last decade.
Almost 50% of cases are in children from 0-4 years.
Around 1 in 5 children in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 14.
Cancer remains the number one cause of death by disease for children with around 230 children dying from cancer each year in the UK.
It’s Good 2 Give provide practical support to young cancer patients and their families across Scotland so we are very aware of these figures and the impact cancer has on young people and their friends and family.
That's why we want to do all we can to raise awareness of early diagnoses and to help with the development of treatments.
Early Diagnosis Saves Lives
Spotting cancer in children and young people can be difficult. Cancer symptoms in children can be vague and similar to common childhood illnesses making them difficult to spot.
Most of us are aware of the cancer symptoms in adults such as lumps and coughs that don’t go away. The first signs of cancer in children can appear as a chest or ear infection that just doesn’t go away or keeps coming back.
A recent public survey by the Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group found that 6 in 10 people are not confident in spotting the signs of cancer in children even though the risk of getting cancer by 25 years old is only 1 in 180.
Signs to look out for included:
Feeling very tired and / or pale skin
Persistent infections such as ear, throat and chest
Flu-like symptoms that don’t go away
Bruising easily or a rash or small red dots
Sweating or fever, especially at night
Aches and pains that don’t go away
Unexplained limp or leg weakness
Feeling a lump, swelling or unusual finds anywhere in the body
Eye changes such as a white glow in the eye (usually seen in photos)
Weight Loss
Slow growth
Changes in moles
If you have any concerns about your child’s health, please visit your doctor.
*Statistics via CCLG and Cancer Research UK, https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/childrens-cancers, Accessed June 2021
