WHEREAS, our most precious resource is our children, and their well-being is vital to a bright future for Alaska; and

WHEREAS, receiving a cancer diagnosis is distressing at any age, but it is even more heartbreaking when the patient is a child; and

WHEREAS, pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death from disease in children and the most common types of cancer in childhood are leukemia, lymphoma, and brain and other central nervous system tumors; and

WHEREAS, the type of treatment options for children with cancer diagnoses correlates with the type of cancer and how it spreads, but common treatment methods in battling childhood cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and stem cell transplant; and

WHEREAS, childhood cancer occurs regularly, randomly, and spares no ethnic group, socio-economic class, or geographical region, and the causes of most childhood cancers are unknown and cannot be prevented; and

WHEREAS, scientists and doctors are continually developing more effective methods of cancer treatment and diagnosis, giving our youth a better chance at the long and successful lives they deserve.

NOW THEREFORE, I, Mike Dunleavy, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF ALASKA, do hereby proclaim the month of September, 2024 as:

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

in Alaska and encourage all Alaskans to help raise awareness for a cause that deeply impacts families in our communities and support those affected by this devastating disease.

Dated: September 1, 2024