September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a global effort dedicated to raising awareness about cancers affecting children and adolescents. It is symbolized by the gold ribbon because gold represents strength, resilience, and the value of children’s lives. Yet despite the symbolism, childhood cancer remains an issue that rarely receives sustained attention outside of this single month. 

        When people think of cancer, they often imagine it as a disease of adulthood. That assumption is part of the problem. Cancer is still one of the leading disease-related causes of death among children, even as survival rates have improved through advances in treatment and early diagnosis. Progress exists,but it is uneven, underfunded, and far slower than it should be. 

         Throughout September, organizations across the world encourage communities to shine gold lights on landmarks, share the stories of young patients, and fundraise for pediatric cancer research. These gestures matter. They give visibility to families who often feel isolated and exhausted by a system that was never designed with children in mind. But awareness alone is not enough if it fades once the calendar changes. 

         What makes childhood cancer particularly difficult to confront is its unfairness. Children do not choose risk factors. They do not opt into exposure, lifestyle choices, or delayed care. And yet, they endure aggressive treatments, prolonged hospital stays, and the psychological weight of uncertainty at an age when life is supposed to be expanding, not narrowing. 

         One of the most troubling realities is that pediatric cancers receive only a small fraction of overall cancer research funding, despite the fact that children’s cancers are biologically distinct from adult cancers and require specialized treatments. Survival rates have improved, yes — but for certain cancers, progress has stagnated. For others, survival comes at the cost of long-term side effects that follow survivors into adulthood. 

         In Canada, organizations such as Childhood Cancer Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society, and the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO) work to support families, fund research, and improve care for young patients. Their work highlights an uncomfortable truth: much of the progress in pediatric oncology has come not from abundance, but from persistence — from families, clinicians, and researchers pushing against systemic neglect.

          This issue matters to me not only because it is urgent, but because it reflects a broader question of whose lives we prioritize. Children with cancer are often praised for their “bravery,” a word that can unintentionally shift responsibility away from the systems meant to protect them. Courage should not be a requirement for receiving adequate care. 

           Childhood Cancer Awareness Month should not exist to reassure us that enough is being done. It should remind us that gold ribbons and illuminated buildings are meaningful only if they lead to sustained investment, research, and policy change. Awareness is a starting point not a conclusion.

Childhood Cancer Canada. “Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.” Childhood Cancer Canada, www.childhoodcancer.ca/childhood-cancer-awareness-month . Accessed 17 Dec. 2025. 

Canadian Cancer Society. “Childhood Cancer.” Canadian Cancer Society, www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-type/childhood-cancer . Accessed 17 Dec. 2025. 

Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO). “Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.” POGO, www.pogo.ca . Accessed 17 Dec. 2025.