In September it is time to head back to school and get ready for fall; however, September is also a month to raise awareness for Childhood Cancer, something many people are not aware of when it comes to severity and underdiagnosis.

According to The American Childhood Cancer Association, “one out of 285 children will be diagnosed with cancer before their 20th birthday. That statistic only grows more dire upon learning that ”44% Of childhood cancer cases worldwide are never diagnosed.” However, childhood cancer does not just affect the children that are diagnosed but also the children’s families.

guidance secretary, Morgan Michel, received the unfortunate news that her son, Blake had been diagnosed with cancer at the age of 6.

“It’s crazy that something can be so impactful on your life at any point in time, he was completely healthy, and then all of a sudden he wasn’t,” Michel said.

However, Michel also stressed that kids are just so resilient. 41 other families receive this news every single day. Furthermore, every 80 seconds a child is diagnosed with cancer worldwide. Less than the time it may take to read this article.

Not only do many families fear the moment and how it may affect their lives afterward, but the fact that childhood cancer is not cared for in the way you might expect.

A perception may be made that there is awareness of childhood cancer as there are St Jude commercials everywhere. However, childhood cancer procedures have not been updated for three decades and only receive 4% of the government cancer research budget.

 This is a fact that weighs heavily on Michel, the thought that it could come back and not go away due to the lack of funding never leaves her mind. Michel has to be extra conscious each day even after her son is 6 months cancer-free

“I had to call off work because he woke up crying with some ear pain and it just so happened to be the ear that they found the tumor in,” Michel said. “If his knee is hurting is it a sign of cancer or just because he’s growing,”

Michel wants all students who are impacted by childhood cancer, cancer in general to know it is okay to not be okay. All students impacted should live typical lives even if they may not be typical kids.

 “It’s better to get your feelings out there than have the negative thoughts like I often do,” Michel said. She is spreading awareness by sharing her story in this article and her social media, you can spread awareness of your own through social media. Michel’s Office is in upper C if anyone feels the need to reach out.