My big brother had a cancerous cyst behind his ear.  It was discovered when he was 9mo.  He'd had a fall while walking around the furniture and had knocked his head on the table.  My dad checked his head for injuries and they found a lump behind his ear.  They assumed it was a bruise and did nothing about it.  A week later dad checked his head again and the lump has grown and become squishy.  They took him to the doctors and found out that their 9mo son had cancer.

Their world was destroyed.  All the hopes and dreams they had for him shattered.  It was 1976 and surviving cancer was not common but my brother (like so many sick children) is a fighter.  He had the cyst removed and then underwent several courses of chemotherapy.  Before then they had never used such strong treatment on anyone that young anywhere in the world (he even made it into the papers) they told my parents he wasn't likely to see his first birthday. 

The cyst was so large that when they cut it out they couldn't stitch the skin together so he wore dressings for months and mum and dad were told to never let him get upset (because the wound could open at anytime)... can you imagine having a toddler who you could not let cry - he was treated like a little emperor until about 12 months after the operation until the doctor said it was ok, the wound had finally healed completely.

 His first birthday came and went and the doctors had to revise their predictions and told my parents that Pete would never be able to walk or talk and that he wasn't likely to make it to adulthood.  The side affects of cancer treatment can be awful.  His hair didn't start growing until he was school age and they suspected his speech and mobility would be permanently affected. 

 Mum and Dad took Peter to physical therapists and speech therapists and although he hit his targets much later than most children he learnt to walk and talk.  He walks like a drunk and he talks slowly but that's a darn sight better than predicted.

Peter turns 33yo in a couple of months.  The side affects of the cancer treatment have left him with severe frontal lobe damage and cerebral palsy. 

When my parents went through all of this, when my brother was first diagnosed, there was no Child Cancer Foundation.  They had no additional support and had a really hard time.  They were in and out of hospital regularly so had to make sure they always had enough money for transport plus there's the cost of medicines and growth hormones etc.  Some weeks they had to chose between buying milk or bread.

My parents were at the meeting in 1978 when the Child Cancer Foundation was founded and we have been supporters and volunteers ever since. 

Every year I organise collection sites on the annual appeal days and I've also been involved in one of their "funrazors" (where people shave their heads to raise funds).  I have been lucky enough to meet some of the beautiful children who with their families are suffering of cancer.  One little girl, called Sophie, really touched my heart.  On the day of the funrazor she was dancing and singing and posing for my camera and so beautiful the way her lovely bubbly personality shone through despite the bald head and tubes sticking out of her nose, taped to her cheek.  According to her mum she'd just been discharged and allowed home after basically living at the hospital.  She was 3yo but her strength was so obvious and much greater I think than mine is, than most adults have.

I guess there was no actual point to this post except to say  to all the amazing children with so much inner strength and  to their families.  Although I've heard dozens of stories of what they go through and I know my own family went through it too (when I was much to young to realise it wasn't normal) it still amazes me and I don't think I can ever imagine what a struggle it must be.

eta: Sophie had a relapse last year and passed away.

As a continuation of my post...because you got me started on a subject I'm so passionate about.

Back when my brother was diagnosed the survival rate was very slim but now of the 150 children diagnosed every year around 80% are successfully treated.

The Foundation's guiding principles are: