Turning Burgess Hill gold for childhood cancer

Parents with first-hand experience of childhood cancer are turning Burgess Hill gold this month.
Sebastian Stevens, age 6 SUS-200409-114029001Sebastian Stevens, age 6 SUS-200409-114029001
Sebastian Stevens, age 6 SUS-200409-114029001

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, organised by Children With Cancer UK, and those who mark the event wear a gold ribbon.

Taking this one step further is the Turn Burgess Hill Gold campaign.

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Natasha Penney, one of the organisers of Turn Burgess Hill Gold, said: “At the age of 18 months my son Sebastian was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma of his bladder and prostate.

Sebastian Stevens SUS-200409-114040001Sebastian Stevens SUS-200409-114040001
Sebastian Stevens SUS-200409-114040001

“His treatment plan was horrendous and he suffered months of agony as his bladder was filled with tumour.

“Hearing your child in excruciating pain is something no mother should have to hear and no child should suffer.

“He received chemo, surgery and brachytherapy which meant he was in a cast for 3 days with 16 rods inserted into his tiny body in the hope the radiotherapy would blast the cancerous cells.

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“During this time and up to today we see so many children suffering and families turn apparent by childhood cancer.

“The aim of our Turn Burgess Hill Gold campaign is to attempt to make as much awareness as possible.

“We hope shops and businesses will turn their stores gold and promote the gold theme through their social media channels.”

According to Children With Cancer UK, an average of 12 children and young people are diagnosed with cancer every day, and it is the leading cause of death in children under the age of 15,

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Natasha said: “I hope individuals and personal windows will also support and maybe pop a gold ribbon at the end of their fantastic rainbows.

“We have gold ribbons going up throughout some of the parks which businesses have sponsored to raise vital funds for research and to help families in crisis.

“The more awareness raised, the better the research and the more chance these children have of survival.

“Childhood cancer is so underfunded with roughly only 1.5 per cent of cancer research profits concentrating on children’s cancers.

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“One in five children diagnosed will not survive and those that do are left with devastating effects from the treatment plan.

“That’s around 250 children a year dying of cancer.

“Please support our Turn Burgess Hill Gold campaign and go gold for September.

Hassocks inspired me after their fantastic year last year and Haywards Heath are also going gold this year.

“We are three oncology mummies who want the world to know childhood cancer needs more support.”

For more information, visit www.clicsargent.org.uk/ or www.childrenwithcancer.org.uk