Honoring Childhood Heroes: Proclamation of Childhood Cancer Awareness Week in Key West

Commissioners Lissette Carey and Monica Haskell, Mayor Danise Henriquez, Healthy Start Coalition’s Melanie Rodriguez, Commissioner Clayton Lopez, Vice Mayor Sam Kaufman, and Commissioner Donie Lee. Commissioner Mayr Lou Hoover was in attendance via Zoom.

Mayor Danise Henriquez and the Key West City Commission have proclaimed the week of September 29 through October 5th as Childhood Cancer Awareness Week.

The proclamation was accepted by Lion’s Club President and retired Judge Peary Fowler.

“We at the Lion’s Club take childhood cancer very seriously,” she said. “And although we’re poor as church mice, we were happy to get together a donation to help with this.”

The American Cancer Fund for Children and the Kids Cancer Connection report that cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children between infancy and age 15. This tragic disease is detected in more than 16,000 of our country’s young people every year. One in five of these children loses his or her battle with cancer. Many infants, children, and teens will suffer from long-term effects of comprehensive treatment, including secondary cancers.

The American Cancer Fund for Children, Inc., Kids Cancer Connection, Inc., and Lions Clubs International are dedicated to helping these children and their families. They provide a variety of vital patient psychosocial services to children undergoing cancer treatment at a number of facilities. They also sponsor toy distributions, pet-assisted therapy, family sailing, KCC Supercar Experience, Laughternoon – Laughter is Healing, Music is Medicine, It’s Magic – Nothing is Impossible, home and hospital instruction, art therapy, and hospital celebrations in honor of a child’s determination and bravery to fight the battle against childhood cancer.

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