Yesterday was September 1st. Another start to another September…the third, in fact, since our Kate flew home. September 1st, as you likely well know, is the start of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and a very important month for organizations just like ours. Our biggest event of the year takes place in just 3 short weeks, and we’ll stand with others on the National Mall two weeks from today for CureFest to be heard with one voice that we are #goldstrong but that we still need MORE THAN FOUR.
But otherwise? I’ve somewhat let this month and its importance settle within me. You see, I have no choice but to be aware. I have no other option but to know the intimate, horrific, often overlooked realities of childhood cancer because of how it played out in my world. My personal Facebook news feed is overwhelmingly gold with my baby’s face gracing the profile pictures and shared posts of friends and family alike. I often wonder if my feed is so gold because people know Kate or, if it’s because childhood cancer is so NOT rare that a vast majority of my Facebook friends are people whose lives have been deeply impacted, just like mine. This year, I am choosing to believe that in my little personal corner of the world, I have done my job. I have raised awareness.
But what about the rest of the world? What about the politicians and the media and the influencers of this great nation who can DO something about it? One of our three goals at Kate’s Cause is simply put, “to raise awareness.” I struggle with how to impact the big, broad sea of people who don’t know, turn the other way or care more about something else. I don’t know how to make people care about how currently, the federally funded National Cancer Institute (NCI) only allocates 4% of its annual budget to research for childhood cancers. Small organizations such as ours cannot do it alone. We NEED the government to help make our children a national priority and provide MORE THAN FOUR!
But. We will do our part. We will do whatever it takes. Whatever we can.
Yesterday, on the start of this very important month, at the suggestion of a friend, we kicked off Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in the most Kate way possible…at The Color Vibe 5k with dozens of families supporting ours with Kate on their shirts and in their hearts. The work family and board members who ran, skipped, walked and smiled through the race raised awareness just by being there. “OH! There goes another dinosaur” was heard all along the path. The group was the largest organized group at the race and got called out while taking a group photo and everyone turned to see this amazing group of people who, likely just a few short years ago, didn’t know about childhood cancer either. I just know how much Kate would have LOVED watching all of the silly, rainbow colorful antics.
We might not have changed any lives yesterday by our awareness movement. But MINE was changed by these people many years ago when they decided to rally behind us and support our family with no stone unturned. So that for me, for this year, felt exactly right.
