Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Childhood Cancer Awareness topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Families, board mark Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in Little Miami
Summary
Families and the board marked September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month; a parent speaker described the medical, emotional and financial burden on families, cited national and local statistics, and urged advocacy, fundraising and community support for pediatric cancer research.
Board members and families used Tuesday's meeting to mark September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and to share firsthand accounts of children facing cancer.
Joellen Voorhe told the board about the shock of a child's diagnosis and the day‑to‑day caregiving realities that follow. She cited national figures — "In The United States, 1 in 285 kids will be diagnosed with cancer before age 20" and "42 children are diagnosed with cancer each day" — and said pediatric research receives a small portion of federal funding. Voorhe said the Little Miami community has been directly affected: "In our little Miami community alone, we have 11 families who have faced the challenges of childhood cancer. Since 2016, we have 3 new diagnosis[s] among school aged children along with 1 case of relapse. Currently, 2 students are undergoing treatment, while 7 others are in post treatment or survivorship." She urged the community to advocate for increased pediatric research funding, donate blood and support families with practical help.
Other parents and family members described how community support — cards, fundraisers and school outreach — helped their children. One parent referenced the nonprofit Cancer Free Kids (cancerfreekids.org), its butterfly walk fundraiser and other local events that channel donations to pediatric research.
Board members thanked the families for sharing their experiences and invited the Going Gold families and award winners to the lobby for photos after the meeting. The board did not take formal action on the presentation; speakers used the time to raise awareness and request community support and fund‑raising participation.
