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Spotlight on Childhood Cancer

Childhood Cancer Awareness Day ribbon

Cancer is an intimidating disease—its origins are often unknown, it can spread rapidly if not treated, and treatments can be physically, emotionally, and financially taxing. No one wants to receive any type of cancer diagnosis, but especially parents on behalf of their children. When a child is diagnosed with cancer, the entire family is affected—the hospital stays, treatments disrupting normal life, and the emotional stress of helplessly watching a child fight their illness are overwhelming challenges a family may face. For Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we’re bringing this important issue to light and offering ways we can all help.

The Importance of Awareness

According to the American Childhood Cancer Organization (ACCO), childhood cancer is the number one disease that takes children’s lives the U.S. It’s likely that you know a child who has been affected by cancer, because approximately 1 in 285 children in the U.S. alone will be diagnosed before their 20th birthday. This September, you can do your part to help raise awareness of childhood cancer. Here’s how awareness can help:

1. Awareness helps children discover symptoms, get diagnosed, and begin treatment. 

In 2020, an estimated 181,000 of child cancer cases will go undiagnosed.

2. Awareness helps survivors to continue health and wellness after treatment.

Two-thirds of childhood cancer survivors will face a serious condition after surviving cancer.

3. Awareness brings the attention of donors. 

Donations to organizations like the American Childhood Cancer Organization help provide resources and support to the victims of child cancers. Other organizations like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital use donated funds primarily for research. Make-A-Wish®, whom we are proud to support, helps children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses by granting their one true wish. In fact, more than 40 percent of children waiting for a wish are fighting cancer.

Our Ongoing Support of Make-A-Wish

BuzzRx has been an ongoing supporter of Make-A-Wish for a little over 5 years, and to date, has donated nearly 500 wishes ($5 million) for children with critical illnesses. Wishes are essential because having something joyous and meaningful to look forward to inspires children to fight harder against their illness. And, the lasting memories that Make-A-Wish creates stays with families for years to come.

Take Action Now

One of the easiest ways to take action for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is getting a FREE Prescription Discount Card benefitting Make-A-Wish. Every time you save, BuzzRx donates $1 to their organization (at no cost to the cardholder.) The card never expires, and the donations stay in the community in which they are raised to help grant local wishes. You can also help raise awareness for childhood cancers this month by sharing facts from the organizations mentioned above—you may even consider donating to one of these organizations.

Being a kid is hard enough but having to fight a critical illness while still developing physically, mentally, and emotionally is a fate that no one wishes for themselves or anyone else.