Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Nathan Gentry, age 6, sits by a window overlooking New York City traffic on September 8, 2006. Nathan's mother: "We were in NYC consulting with the doctors there after Nathan's second relapse. He had much treatment in NYC in previous years and LOVED the city. He died about 10 months after this picture was taken. Part of the reason I treasure this photo is I can see his feet. I spent hours rubbing those feet while he had a very painful treatments."
Massachusetts Senator John Kerry tells Andrew MacKinlay, 15, of Norwell, that he is an inspiration before the start of the Pan Mass Challenge on Saturday, August 2, 2008, The PMC is a fundraising bike-a-thon for cancer research through the Dana Farber Cancer Institute's Jimmy Fund. MacKinlay is a leukemia survivor and is the youngest cancer survivor riding in the PMC. (Christine Hochkeppel for The Boston Globe)
Lukas MacDonnell, aged 11 months seen on his mother's lap the day before his brain surgery (craniotomy) to remove a tumor. Lukas was diagnosed with a Stage 4 Neuroblastoma in November of 2007, and has since had 6 rounds of heavy chemotherapy, 13 rounds of direct beam radiation, 1 stem cell harvest, 1 adrenal gland tumor resection and the craniotomy. Though he lost his sight because of the tumor, he was declared NED (no evidence of disease) July 3rd 2008, and will continue scans for the next year.
Tanner Onder meets with his favorite rock star Nikki Sixx of Sixx A.M. (formerly of Motley Crue). The backstage meeting was arranged by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, who arranged for Tanner and his family to fly to Denver, Colorado to see the concert on July 25th, 2008. Tanner: "While on stage, Sixx A.M dedicated my favorite song, 'Life is Beautiful' to me, as being a cancer survivor, Life is indeed BEAUTIFUL!!" (© Lisa Onder)
AJ Piniewski, age 14, shares a moment with his sister during his last month of treatment for Burkitt's lymphoma in late 2007. AJ's Dad: "AJ was a happy, healthy, athletic young man starting high school. He was diagnosed with Burkitts Lymphoma on Father's Day 2007, and left us on January 5, 2008. He is forever our son and brother and we love him and miss him more than words can describe."

"You're gonna be brave, right?" "Right." Diana, age 5, and her father share a moment before she receives her weekly dose of chemotherapy through a port in her chest, January 10, 2007. Diana has Wilm's Tumor, a cancer of the kidney that typically occurs in children.
Victor Naeve, age 13, plays a piece he composed called "February" on the piano he just chose for himself at Boston Piano and Organ in Natick, Massachusetts. He discovered he had cancer in February 2007 and that's when he wrote the song. Victor chose a piano as his wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The Bay State Chapter of the foundation grants the wishes of about 340 kids every year with the help of hundreds of volunteers. (Michele McDonald/Globe Staff)
A 5-year-old Iraqi boy named Hussein poses at the King Hussein Cancer Centre in Amman, Jordan on August 19, 2008. Hussein, who is suffering from leukemia, is one of the few Iraqis to have had the chance to travel overseas for treatment as there is a scarcity of health facilities in Iraq, officials at the Cancer Centre said. (REUTERS/Ali Jarekji)
One of a group of children from the contaminated Chernobyl region of Ukraine takes in a view during a respite from their medical appointments in the Boston area on July 10, 2007. They were given donated trolley tours and lunch at the Top of The Hub restaurant After the Chernobyl accident, thyroid cancers went up 1,000 percent in the affected region. Based in Boston, the Chernobyl Children Project USA arranges medical care in the U.S. for children suffering from a wide variety of ailments and places them with volunteer host families during their stay. (Suzanne Kreiter/Globe staff)

Caroline Bridges, a 21-year-old Boston University junior, is battling leukemia as well as college courses. She receives her last chemotherapy course - an eight-hour ordeal - at Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts on November 11, 2007. (Suzanne Kreiter/Globe staff)

Families, caregivers, charities and research groups across the United States are observing September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. In the U.S., over 12,000 children under the age of 21 are diagnosed with cancer every year, approximately 3,000 of them will not survive the disease. A diagnosis can turn the lives of a family upside down - days suddenly filled with alternating moments of courage, frustration, boredom, anxiety and pain. The objective of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is to put a spotlight on the types of cancer that largely affect children, survivorship issues, and - importantly - to help raise funds for research groups working towards cures (links below images). Here are a few recent photos of families, all dealing with childhood cancer in their own ways.