Local nonprofit wants more awareness of childhood cancer

Earlier this week, the Columbus City Council declared September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

The nonprofit group Sammy's Superheroes said that's a good step toward the effort learn about how kids can get this debilitating disease.

The group's Board President Erin Nahorny said her son, Sam, was diagnosed with cancer of the nervous system when he was four years old.

"When Sam was diagnosed, we didn’t feel like we had the options available," Nahorny said.  "It was all under clinical trial.  There are very few drugs that are approved for use in kids.”

Even though Sam is alive and well today, she said the experience showed more research is needed for childhood cancer.

She said it receives less than 4 percent of federal funds for cancer research and that that should change.

“There is a really big discrepancy between the funding that’s available for adult cancer research and for kids cancer research," she said.  "And kids don’t have a voice, so it’s up to organizations like ours, families, parents to be their lobbyists — to go out there and push for the funding for the research.”

Nahorny said raising awareness is key to bringing in more funding for research to understand how kids can get it.

“Breast cancer has come a long way because of the pink in October," she said.  "Everyone knows pink ribbons and pink in October means breast cancer and their funding has increased a lot because of that.”

Sammy's Superheroes wants to see the same thing for childhood cancer.

Sammy's Superheroes said they even have some fundraising events coming up in the Columbus area. You can find more information on those by visiting: https://www.sammyssuperheroes.org/news-events/