Diagnosed with cancer at three months, Finn spent the first year of his life fighting for it. He’s finished treatment now, but he’s facing a lifetime of late effects. Monitored regularly for tumour growth, Finn also sees a battalion of medical specialists — from neurologists and geneticists to endocrinologists and occupational therapists — to manage the after effects.

Thank goodness for Great Clips hair salons. Their Back to School Buzz during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is turning haircuts into fundraising and here’s how you and your kids can get involved.

I have tried multiple times to write and share Ella’s story. I struggle partly because I feel this is her story to tell, not mine, but the other struggle is I know that by the time I finish writing this, there will be more to add to it. We are anxiously waiting to hear when Ella’s next brain surgery will be. We know it will only be weeks away. The outcome of this surgery has so many possibilities and we know this because she has already been through three within the last year. That is not including the other surgeries. That is just her brain surgeries. At the young age of three, the number of brain surgeries she will have is more than her age.

Names are pretty meaningful for Jessica. As we drove to the hospital on the morning of her birth, I googled the meaning of the names we had shortlisted, and saw that Jessica meant “a gift from God”. This baby was indeed a gift as it was a miracle that we were even pregnant in the first place. We also knew that our baby had a mass in her brain, so my hope was that the meaning of the name Jessica would help to ensure her survival. Because when you give a gift, you don’t ask for it back.

Most of you reading this probably know at least one person, whose life has been affected by cancer. It might be your uncle, your sister, a friend, a grandparent, someone. Well, you’re about to know one more — me. When I was ten, I was diagnosed with CML, which actually stands for something that I can’t quite pronounce, even to this day. It is a type of leukemia, usually found in adults and rarely in children.

Our son Joshua was diagnosed with autism at the age of three. It was a terrifying time for us & a diagnosis that to this day, regularly tests our strength. After that we thought we were prepared for anything, but nothing could prepare us for the cancer diagnosis.

What’s black and white and eats 40 kilograms of bamboo a day, poops five kilograms a day and has one of the strongest bites in the animal kingdom? Thanks to you, 49 kids from the Kids Cancer Care community can probably answer this.