Evelyn Wilson spoke with a very heavy heart at Shire Hall on Tuesday night.
She made a deputation to Prince Edward County council asking them to declare September as Childhood Cancer Awareness month.
It was a trying day as many in the community prepared for the memorial of Abby Heffernan who passed away from cancer last Monday (August 19) following a four year battle.
Wilson says between three and five per cent of cancer research is earmarked for childhood cancers and that means in the past 45 years, only three new drugs have been developed for the treatment of childhood cancers.
Cancer is still the number one disease killing children today and one in five Canadian children diagnosed with cancer do not survive.
Wilson says five new child cancer cases were diagnosed locally in the last 10 days while three children locally have passed away since May from a childhood cancer.
She noted that families of children with cancer incur an average of more than $28,000 in costs in the first three months following a child’s diagnosis and frequently a parent has to give up their job in order to care for their child.
Belleville children with cancer are treated in Kingston, Toronto, or Ottawa because the oncology unit at Belleville General Hospital doesn’t treat children.
Tears Mean Love raised $12,000 last year, helping these families.
Councillor Phil Prinzen said kids and cancer should never be in the same sentence.
A proclamation declaring September Childhood Cancer Awareness Month will go through the Mayor’s office and is already in the works.
Quinte West and Belleville councils also gave their support and are going gold for the month of September.
You can find Tears Mean Love on Facebook.
