SALISBURY TWP., Pa. – It’s estimated that about 1,600 children and adolescents in the United States die of cancer each year.
So, Tuesday, on the start of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we’re highlighting what a local organization is doing to raise awareness, and how you can help.
Michelle Zenie Rounds, Executive Director of the Pediatric Cancer Foundation of the Lehigh Valley, and DeSales film student Charlie Morton joined 69 News at Sunrise to tell us more.
Rounds said 16,000 kids are diagnosed each year in the U.S., which amounts to about 1 in 285 kids. She said the Lehigh Valley sees, on average, about 40 new diagnoses a year.
Cancer is “here, in every neighborhood,” she said.
The foundation seeks to help families throughout the cancer journey. It offers social, emotional, and financial help to families.
The organization is taking a new approach this year. The organization is partnering with DeSales University to produce 30 videos telling the stories of cancer patients.
Morton said his brother passed away in 2009 from leukemia. He noted the commitment the PCFLV has, and how hard it works to support families.
“You can’t help but want to help,” he said.
A new video will appear each morning on the PCFLV website. The videos will also be available on the organization’s social media pages.