We scraped our green-felted church chairs across the linoleum into our regular circle. The air is heavy, yet the murmuring, light conversations continue until someone softly starts the meeting. One look around at the faces tell a million stories. Some are veterans, coming to the monthly meeting for 4, 5, 10 years. They are seasoned with familiarity, the edges worn off their battles by just a hair. Some are new, raw, their emotions just below the surface, reeling from the newness of their membership.
This is the start of a Brighter Tomorrows meeting. We are parents of children diagnosed with cancer. No story is alike, no child’s battle the same. Yet we sit, in a circle, feeling the same feelings and dread of being a part of a group that we never wanted to join, yet needed so badly.
The rise of a pandemic with a highly contagious respiratory disease has paused our monthly circles. Our children are already vulnerable, with compromised immune systems and multiple trips to the hospital, emergency room visits, and more. We still have a mission to fulfill at Brighter Tomorrows – offering support to these families, giving them a sense of being amongst those who understand the journey.
As fall approaches and the air turns crisp, we turn the calendar to September, and the Month of Childhood Cancer Awareness begins. What can we do? We know that childhood cancer is vastly underfunded. The survival rate for pediatric cancer is still too low. New medicine and research specific to childhood cancer needs funding. We understand that to make our voices heard, we can share our beautiful children and their journeys, no matter what the outcome. We support all families – newly diagnosed, survivors, and the bereaved families.
Paint the Town Gold was born. In the month of September, Brighter Tomorrows is striving to give our kids a spotlight. We can do more. By raising awareness through partnering with businesses to host our posters. Having the Plummer Building and City Hall light up in Gold Lights kicked off the month of September. Most importantly, together with Mayor Norton and the City of Rochester, we have declared this month officially Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Shining a bit of light on this mission of supporting cancer families that Brighter Tomorrows is determined to carry out in SE Minnesota and beyond.
Paint the Town Gold is about awareness. It’s about our children, and their fight to survive pediatric cancer.
Would you like to be a part in our campaign? Email us at info@brightertomorrowshope.org or message us on Facebook.