The Ministry of Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs is calling on the public to wear gold on Tuesday, September 17th, 2024, as part of the “Go Gold” initiative in observance of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
The objective is to raise awareness of the disparities in childhood cancer care, particularly the challenges faced by children in low and middle-income countries.
According to a Health Ministry press release, this year’s theme, ‘Reducing the Survival Gap’, focuses on raising awareness about the global inequalities faced by children with cancer, particularly in countries like Saint Lucia, where survival rates remain significantly lower compared to high-income nations.
The “Go Gold” initiative will emphasise the urgent need for collaboration and action to address these disparities, ensuring that all children, regardless of where they live, have access to quality cancer care and treatment.
One of the cancers that occurs in infants and young children is Neuroblastoma, which starts in certain very early forms of nerve cells, most often in an embryo or fetus.
In a testimonial video shared by the Ministry of Health, Melissa Rivers, a mother who lost her child due to Neuroblastoma, recounted her experience.
“The first signs and symptoms would be a persistent low grain fever. We went to the doctor a few times, and we were told that it would have possibly been as a result of him teething, but with blood tests and some scans, we found out that there was a mass in his abdomen,” Rivers recalled.
The Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in the United States diagnosed and treated him.
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The child’s mother encouraged parents and families facing such unfortunate challenges with their children to become advocates on the youngsters’ behalf.
“The most important thing was being his advocate, knowing that something was wrong with him, and him being so young, and not being able to express what was wrong it was important for me to say, no, something is wrong,” Rivers stated.
” I would say being an advocate for a child is a most important part of the process,” she expressed.
