In three minutes, where will you be? Will you be in the exact same spot you are now, doing the exact same thing? Will you be in a different room, or have a different position in life? In three minutes, there will be a child in a hospital who has just been diagnosed with cancer. Not an adult, but a child. A young human being who was thought to have his or her life ahead of them, but it is almost cut short with one diagnosis. Now, their life is a matter of life or death, but it won’t stop brave young people and their families from fighting for tomorrow.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month, and its goal is to bring light to the issue that can sometimes go unnoticed.

Most people tend to believe that they will never be diagnosed with cancer. They think that cancer is so unlikely, when in fact, more children are lost to cancer in the U.S. than any other disease. That means before they turn 20, about one in 285 children in the United States will have cancer. 14,583 kids will be diagnosed with cancer this month. Even if a child survives their battle with cancer, they will still have lifelong problems from the countless operations and treatments.

Some people believe that cancer cannot affect them because they live a healthy lifestyle, but lifestyle factors do not matter. Any child can get cancer.

There is also a problem with the fact that there are innumerable types of cancer as well. The general idea of Childhood Cancer Awareness month is to get people to understand that any child of any age, height, weight, gender and ethnicity can be diagnosed with cancer. The organizations that participate want everyone to be aware.

Where will you be in three minutes?

Click here for more information about Childhood Cancer Month.

Check back tomorrow for Jordan’s part two on dealing with the realities of a child, who’s a family friend, battling cancer.