International Childhood Cancer Day is a global combined campaign celebrated every year on February 15th. The mission is to raise awareness about childhood cancer, and to express support for children and adolescents with cancer, the survivors and their families. This annual event was created in 2002 by Childhood Cancer International, a global network of 176 parent organizations, childhood cancer survivor associations, childhood cancer support groups, and cancer societies, in over 93 countries, across 5 continents.
The day promotes increased gratitude and deeper understanding of issues and challenges relevant to childhood cancer and impacting on children/adolescents with cancer, the survivors, their families and the society as a whole. It also focusses the need for more reasonable and better access to treatment and care for all children with cancer, everywhere in the world.
Who is behind ICCD?
The International Childhood Cancer Day is based on Childhood Cancer International’s (CCI) core belief that every child and adolescents with cancer deserves the best possible medical and psychosocial care, regardless of country of origin, race, financial status or social class.
It is also anchored on the premise that childhood cancer deaths are avoidable, with timely and accurate diagnosis, availability and access to quality essential medicines as well as proper treatment and care.
On International Childhood Cancer Day, all members of Childhood Cancer International stand united to make childhood cancer a national and global child health priority to ensure there are adequate resources to meet the basic rights of children with cancer.
The CCI believes those basic rights for all children diagnosed with cancer include:
• The right to early and proper diagnosis
• The right to access life-saving essential medicines
• The right to appropriate and quality medical treatments
• The right to follow up care, services and sustainable livelihood opportunities for survivors.
• Additionally, if a cure is not attainable, CCI stands by the right of the child to experience a pain-free death
• In developed countries, the shocking reality for a majority of low-middle income nations is that children suffering from cancer will die excruciating deaths without any supportive care or pain management
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Until Next Week, Stay Safe and Well!