Childhood Cancer Awareness

By Wanda Kelsey-Mendez, Communications Manager for Kansas City Hospice

As Childhood Cancer Awareness Month draws to a close, we at Carousel Pediatric Hospice & Palliative Care want to remind everyone that cancer is not just for adults. Each year in the U.S. an estimated 15,780 children between the ages of birth and 19 years of age who are diagnosed with cancer. About 1 in 285 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer before their 20th birthday.

Around the world there are more than 300,000 children diagnosed with cancer each year. Every 3 minutes, somewhere in the world a family hears the devastating words “your child has been diagnosed with cancer.” While survival rates for many types of childhood cancer have improved, for too many children, cancer will shorten their lives too soon. Cancer remains the most common cause of death by disease for children in America.

Carousel is a program of Kansas City Hospice and is a unique program for our area. Our special team of pediatric physicians, nurses, social workers, art therapists, music therapists and chaplains serve our youngest populations. Patients range from babies to young adults. It takes special hearts and special skills to work with children who have serious long-term illness and may need hospice.

The annual Pumpkin Run is this week!

The Jared Coones Memorial Pumpkin 5K Run/Walk is coming up October 6. The beneficiaries of this event are local organization that help families with children affected by cancer. Included is Solace House, our center for grief and healing. Solace House provides individual and group grief support from age 3 to adult.

Jared was ten years old when he passed away on October 5, 1998 after a long courageous battle with leukemia. Jayne, Jared’s mom, passed away on December 17, 2006 after a difficult fight with Inflammatory Breast Cancer. Join us to remember Jared and Jayne and all they both stood for and what is important in life—love, faith, strength and courage.

Here at Kansas City Hospice, we’re on a mission to bring expert care, peace of mind, comfort, guidance and hope to people affected by life-threatening and life-limiting illness. Please help support our mission and assist in providing care to people of all ages at all stages of serious illness.

JOIN OUR TEAM!

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