Fighting Childhood Cancers

A Glenrothes father is calling on the NHS to do more to raise awareness around childhood cancers.

Steven Laing's son Connor has been suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia since 2011.

It took 18 days to diagnose the youngster, who's due to complete a three-and-a-half year stint of chemotherapy in April.

During Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Steven says it's time to shift the focus:

1,600 children (aged 0-15) are diagnosed with cancer every year in the UK, but almost a third of adults in Scotland underestimated this number, and more than a quarter (27%) said they didn't know.

Almost three in ten Scots (28%) underestimated the gruelling 60 mile round trip many families have to travel on average, often many days a week, for children to receive treatment for cancer at a specialist hospital, and more than a fifth (22%) did not know.
 
More than a quarter (26%) thought that the average amount of extra money a year families have to spend to cope with the extra costs of childhood cancer was less than the actual figure of £4,400, with just over a fifth (22%) knowing the correct amount spent on things such as travel, accommodation, hospital food and clothes for children who gain and lose weight during treatment.
 
Four in ten (40%) correctly identified that a third of children with cancer experience bullying when they return to school - but a fifth (20%) believed that this could not be the case.
 
The survey, carried out by YouGov on behalf of CLIC Sargent, the UK's leading cancer charity for children and young people, is published to mark Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. 
 
CLIC Sargent provides vital emotional, financial and practical support to the thousands of children diagnosed with cancer each year, supporting children and families from diagnosis and through treatment that can last up to three years.
 
This September, CLIC Sargent is joining other charities in the UK to make September the month to raise awareness of the impact that childhood cancer has on families across the UK, and is calling on the public to wear a gold ribbon to show their support for those families coping with childhood cancer.
 
The survey found that while people in Scotland were not aware of the financial and traveling impact a childhood cancer diagnosis can have on families, they were much more informed of the impact that a diagnosis has on parents' employment with more than two thirds (69%) knowing that a lack of support means most parents have to reduce the hours they work when their child is undergoing treatment.
 
It also revealed overwhelming support amongst the public in Scotland for both emotional and financial support to be available to families during and after treatment with:
 
· 90% of Scots agreeing that families affected by cancer should have access to emotional support from trained professionals throughout their child’s treatment.

· 85% agreeing that affected families should have access to financial support throughout and

· 81% agreeing that both emotional and financial support should be available to families after treatment ends, for as long as the child or family need it.

Lorraine Clifton, CLIC Sargent's Chief Executive says: 

"It's clear from the results of this survey that many people in Scotland simply do not know that children get cancer and that, though childhood cancer is thankfully rare, a child’s cancer diagnosis and the often long cancer treatment can have a devastating impact on children and their families.
 
"At CLIC Sargent we know just how overwhelming a child's cancer diagnosis can be - and we support families through the often gruelling treatment, which can last up to three years.
 
"Cancer is a frightening experience and the emotional, practical and financial implications are intensely challenging for the whole family. Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is an opportunity to raise awareness of the impact of childhood cancer, and to ask people to support CLIC Sargent's work helping young cancer patients and their families.
 
"We are calling on people in Scotland to wear a gold ribbon throughout September to show they are standing by the thousands of families coping with the devastating impact of a cancer diagnosis and its treatment, and to make a donation to help us continue our work."