Childhood Cancer: A Fight No Child Should Face

Written by Rhea Manjunath

Childhood cancer is but one of those heart-wrenching things that no family should ever face: a diagnosis that has turned life upside down, the innocent childhood of a child now replaced by visits to hospitals and treatments with a series of struggles unimaginable. Yet within all the pain is hope, resiliency, and an invested community trying to make a change.

What is Childhood Cancer?
Childhood cancer refers to cancers that occur among children typically under the age of 18 years. Unlike most adult cancers, which are materially associated with a particular lifestyle and/or environmental background, childhood cancers are usually genetically driven and initiated early in life. The most common types include leukemias, brain tumors, and neuroblastomas, though there are many others, all with their own set of challenges.

Physical Battle
Treatments for childhood cancer, including chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, are grueling. These life-saving treatments often have long-term effects on a child's developing body, from hair and fatigue to serious heart complications and secondary cancers-the physical fight is relentless. Yet, children often show incredible courage facing each day with such resilience, a factor that inspires people around them.

A Message of Hope
Childhood cancer is a battle no family should face, but it's also a reminder of the strength of the human spirit. In everything, admiration and support arise, from bravery in children to resolute love from families in support. And together, let's go to a future in which no child has to confront this battle anymore, and no diagnosis means yet another with promise of cure attached.

Written by Rhea Manjunath from MEDILOQUY