CORNWALL, Ontario – September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. The gold and white flag commemorating the occasion was raised in front of Cornwall City Hall on Thursday, Sept. 3 by two childhood cancer survivors, Alex Tourangeau and Max Nuttall.
Alex’s mom, Cheryl Tourangeau has been involved in raising awareness around childhood cancer since Alex was diagnosed in 2013.
“Four to five kids are diagnosed with cancer per day in Canada, and 20 per cent of them won’t make it,” she said.
Cheryl Tourangeau went on to explain that less than five per cent of funding for cancer research goes towards researching childhood cancers. This leads to lack of tailored treatments for children who often have to be treated with the same procedures and medications as adults.
For the month of September, the Cornwall Optimist Club will be holding a No-dinner dinner to raise money for organizations that support children with cancer. For $10 contributors can support organizations like Ronald MacDonald House, the Candlelighters and CHEO. Tickets are available on the Optimist Club website.
Tourangeau said that a No-dinner dinner is a way to raise money in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic, while keeping everyone, especially cancer survivors with compromised immune systems, safe.
To help raise awareness, in addition to the fundraiser, there will be golden rocks hidden around Cornwall that have been painted by the Cornwall Junior Optimist Club. Anyone who finds one of these rocks in encouraged to take a picture of themselves with it, and post that picture to the CHEO Facebook page and then hide the rock again for the next person to find.
