Letter: How You Can Help Young People With Cancer

Published on: 23 Aug, 2021
Updated on: 23 Aug, 2021

From Rose Bailey

Throughout September, for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the UK’s leading children’s cancer charity, Young Lives vs Cancer, will be helping children with cancer have their voices heard, they may be little, but they have BIG voices.

Having cancer when you’re a child is scary, lonely, relentless and painful. Over the past year our children have missed out on so much. But many children with cancer are still swapping classrooms for chemotherapy, still waving at family members through windows and watching friends blow out birthday candles via phone screens.

This Childhood Cancer Awareness Month we want everyone to see children with cancer for who they are and who they want to be. Because they are more than their cancer. We would love to see the local community come together to help young people with cancer in Surrey, and there are lots of ways to get involved.

We’re looking for volunteers to represent Young Lives vs Cancer at our bucket collections in local Morrisons stores. We have various dates and times throughout September. All available dates and sign up details can be found here: younglivesvscancer.org.uk/join-our-fight/get-volunteering/volunteer-this-ccam/

In return, volunteers will get a warm fuzzy feeling, a huge sense of pride and a big thank you from the young people they will be helping.

In the UK, children with cancer face an average 60-mile round trip to hospital to get life-saving treatment, with many travelling further.

We would love people in the local community to sign up for our Challenge60. They could run 60 miles throughout the month (two miles a day), complete a 60-mile bike ride, or even hop, we don’t mind!

People can also support young people with cancer by purchasing their very own Young Lives vs Cancer gold ribbon pin badge, which are available at Morrisons stores, or you can order one online for a suggested £1 donation.

Last year in Surrey we supported 120 families and gave out 83 grants worth £15,830 to help families from Surrey with the sudden costs that a cancer diagnosis brings. We’d like to thank the community for their ongoing support.

Their efforts mean Young Lives vs Cancer can be there for the children and young people of Surrey with cancer, keeping families together by providing Home from Homes near hospitals and financial grants for support.

You can find more information about all of the ways to get involved this Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, make a donation or shop online at younglivesvscancer.org.uk #MoreThanMyCancer