Local Author, Amanda Morrison supports childhood cancer research and offers support to children. Amanda has written the following as a 4BRANT Citizen Journalist.

“Having my youngest daughter journey through childhood cancer, I’ve learned first-hand what a wicked beast cancer can be, and how it affects the family unit.  We’ve witnessed the heartache, the frustration, and the exhaustion cancer brings, and wish to pay forward the support we have been given my helping other families, both present and in the future.” …Amanda Morrison

Earlier this year, she released her latest children’s book titled ‘My Sister’s a Super Hero!’  This book chronicles the heartwarming tale of two sisters’ journey through childhood cancer with profits from the sale of each book donated to fund research for childhood cancer. Copies of this book can be purchased from the author through her Facebook page or Amazon.

According to the Ontario Ministry of Education, there are currently 3954 elementary schools in Ontario, and a student enrolment amount of 1,392,269, making an average student population of 352 per school. In Canada, an average of 1700 youth are diagnosed with childhood cancer each year. That’s the same as the population of five elementary schools.

Of those children diagnosed, one fifth won’t survive treatment.

One in five!

Cancer takes the equivalent of one elementary school each year. Of those children who survive, additional challenges for these children remain, such as growth and development, fertility, and higher risks of secondary cancers.

Little is known still about why childhood cancer develops. Lifestyle and exposure to environmental factors or not the culprit. Except for the additional medications, few advances in treatment for childhood cancer have occurred in 30 years. Although there have been significant advances in cancer treatment, less than 5% of cancer research funding is directed to childhood cancer.

Nickels on the dollar is used to research childhood cancer, the number one disease killing children. While undergoing treatment, families face challenges unique to other illness. Typically, one parent leaves their place of employment, to take care of the child, making monthly income significantly less. Each week, families will have multiple appointments with doctors, nurses, for various tests, as well as the treatment itself. For many Canadians, this will mean added travel time to one of just 16 hospitals in Canada that treat Childhood cancer. Caring for a child with cancer is often a task that fills 24 hours a day, seven days a week, making a diagnosis of childhood cancer is high stress and with lasting effects to the whole family.

While families attempt to find their new version of normal during this challenging time, a group named Ontario Parents Advocating for Children with Cancer (OPACC) offers their services where they can. By providing parent support groups, financial support in dealing with gas costs, hospital parking costs, as well as gift cards for nearby amenities for parents, this group of volunteers is working hard to offer much-needed support to the parents and families of those dealing with childhood cancer. This group also provide support to children while in the hospital by delivering crafts, books, and entertainment.

Copies are also available for donation as well; profits will be donated to fund childhood cancer research, and a child currently battling cancer will be given a copy of a donated book. Your donation will bring some reprieve for to an exhausted family, as well as create more opportunities for research to be done so that in the future, no parent needs to hear “Your child has cancer.”

To contact Amanda Morrison, please visit her Facebook page, or email her at morrison.mana@gmail.com.

For more information on childhood cancer research visit https://coasttocoastagainstcancer.org/

To contact and for more information OPACC, please visit http://www.opacc.org