Team Arley Sage: September is: Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Today is the 1st day of September and that means that it is also the start of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. For the next 30 days and far beyond I will be joining the fight against childhood cancer and helping to promote organizations that I hold dear to my heart to help get the funding that is needed to help find a cure.

Here are some facts that you need to be made aware of...

Please take a moment and let that information sink in for a little bit. It's startling information isn't it?

Childhood Cancer research is one of the least funded out there, with so much attention and money going towards Breast Cancer. While that is a very worthy cause too, our children are our future and without the research to help find a cure, we are not helping to preserve that future.

I am not going to be one of those people who throws all sorts of information, facts, figures or statistics at you constantly, but I am going to be the voice of my 2.5 year old daughter and to let her know that I will never stop the fight in trying to find a cure or at the very least more answers as to how and why these diagnosis occur.

You also don't have to make a monetary donation in order to help either. Just simply showing your support to the cause on social media helps to gain awareness and attention easily. Or, if you feel as though that's not enough you can join in one of the following:

Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk
Organize a Shave-a-Thon (shave your head)
Hold a read-a-thon, jump-a-thon, or a garage sale

The sky is the limit and nothing is out of reach with bringing attention and awareness to this worthy cause...

I have been asked several times before (with conducting interviews to help spread the word about Rhabdomyosarcoma), what I would tell other parents.

Simply- don't take anything for granted. If something looks suspicious on your child, get it looked at by a medical professional. I know a lot of times parents don't want to bring their children in for something unnecessary, but I need to remind them that Arley was a happy, healthy, typical 2.5 year old toddler with no signs that cancer was invading her body and then all of a sudden a tumor reared it's ugly head on her neck and the rest is history.

It's better to be overly cautious than to not and realize that something that could've been handled better in the early stages versus later. You know how they say in school "No question is a stupid question?" Well I firmly believe that it can be implied to "No aliment, bump, bruise, mole, etc is stupid and shouldn't be looked at." You just NEVER know! We all like to think we are invincible especially when we are young, but the harsh reality is, we are not cats, we don't get nine lives. We only get one life and we need to cherish it and nurture it so that it grows old and wise, not be taken too soon.

So I ask you, the next time you run to Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts, think to yourself how much those few dollars you are spending on a quick pleasure could help to fund the life and pleasures of many young children around the world. They deserve a shot at life just as much as the next person.

Until next time my friends, please hashtag #TeamArleySage in any of your social media when bringing awareness to this worthy cause, so that I may know how far and wide this fight reaches. Thank you.