Prince William County Government: October Is National Crime Prevention Month

Press release from Prince William County Government:

Wednesday, 22 Sep 2021

The Prince William Board of County Supervisors recently joined President Joe Biden and Virginia Governor Ralph S. Northam in proclaiming September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in the United States and the Commonwealth of Virginia, respectively.

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month aims to bring awareness to childhood cancer conditions and emphasize the importance of supporting research and treatment for these devastating conditions. Though the prospect of the disease is bleak, survival rates for childhood cancer have risen from 10% in the 1960s to almost 80% today according to the Children’s Cancer Research Fund.

Even with these extraordinary developments in recent science and cancer treatment, childhood cancer is still the leading cause of disease-related death for children from infancy to 15 years of age in the United States. Additionally, while a growing number of children are surviving cancer and living longer, childhood cancer survivors still face significant emotional, physical, and cognitive effects brought on by their cancer treatments.

In light of the death of Ryland Harris, a local teen and active community member who passed away from cancer last week, and in solidarity with youth around Prince William County who are battling cancer and its after-effects, The Board of Supervisors expresses its continued commitment to supporting the Prince William Health District and local medical facilities and their research into the causes of childhood cancer and in their efforts to develop new therapies that will give children with cancer the chance at longer, healthier lives.

This press release was produced by Prince William County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.