‘Going Gold for Cancer’ recognizes, honors kids diagnosed with cancer

VALLEY CENTER, Kan. (KWCH) - September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. On Friday, children diagnosed with cancer from around Kansas came together to be honored and recognized at the “Going Gold for Cancer,” a childhood cancer awareness event.

Around 400 people attended the event including roughly 50 children diagnosed with cancer.

“Everyone has the most kind attitude and the most happy personalities that they come in and help you feel so welcome and so loved throughout it. A lot of the time. When there is no light they showed us light,” said Jessica Penner, the parent of a child battling cancer.

Friday was sponsored by Wesley Children’s Hospital, the Kansas Children’s Foundation and others. The event included games, entertainers, and resources. It also gave the children a chance to see that they’re not alone.

“I think this is definitely a mood lifter and kind of a moral lifter,” said Jordan Lumley, a “Gold for Cancer” volunteer. “They get to see other kids going through the same thing as them, they get to see the people that are rallying behind them. They get to meet different resources in the communities that might benefit their family and can help out with their family and just have a night of fun and a chance to be a kid while they’re here.

Around 15,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year in the U.S. and around 1,800 children die each year because of cancer. There are also nearly 500,000 childhood cancer survivors currently living in the U.S.

Copyright 2023 KWCH. All rights reserved. To report a correction or typo, please email news@kwch.com