GOLDEN SEPTEMBER: A CHANCE TO BE #EXTRAORDINARY!
September in GOLD, the international month for raising awareness of childhood cancer, is becoming more popular every year, thanks to the mobilization of all the associations, including our own Zoé4life, working in the field of pediatric cancer. Although we still have a long way to go, we want to believe that one day, everyone will become aware of the difficulties faced by children with this disease and their families.
In September, the color gold, chosen to symbolize our commitment to the fight against pediatric cancer, is projected in iconic locations such as Niagara Falls or, closer to home, Geneva's Jet d'Eau. It's also the color of the ribbon the public can wear for thirty days to show their support for the cause. In Switzerland, one child dies of cancer every week, and one child in 350 is diagnosed with cancer before his or her 20th birthday.
While Septembre en OR is synonymous with solidarity, it's also an opportunity to highlight the importance of pediatric cancer research. This research is specific in that childhood cancer is not treated in the same way as adult cancer, and the number of patients concerned is more limited, while the number of different types of cancer exceeds sixty. All these factors make research difficult and very costly.
It's because I remember this unanswered question every day that I decided to get involved with Zoé4life. It's for the same reason that my daughter Naïa has chosen to become a Septembre en OR ambassador. By sharing ourotre We can make a difference for all the other children and teenagers who will have to go through this same painful stage of life."
Over the last fifteen years, 150 new drugs have been approved for adult cancer, while only 24 have been approved for pediatric cancer. It can take up to 17 years for a drug approved for adult cancer to be used in children. In the last thirty years, only one drug has been developed for neuroblastoma, the cancer that took Zoé's life. Despite advances in research, cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease in children over the age of one. Even today, 20% of children with cancer do not survive. The average age at which a child with cancer dies is eight years.
By relaunching the ribbon sales campaign this year, we're giving everyone - individuals and companies alike - the opportunity to show their support for the fight against pediatric cancer, and to raise awareness among those around them. (Posters with a TWINT code can also be used to make donations, the proceeds of which will be donated to research.
Funds raised during Septembre en OR are specifically allocated to national and international projects and studies aimed at developing new treatment protocols accessible to children in Switzerland.
We work closely with the two reference centers for pediatric oncology in Switzerland, the CHUV and the Kinderspital in Zurich.
Let's be #extraORdinary so that children with cancer can also be the next generation.
