15 February — International Childhood Cancer Day 2022

International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) is marked on 15 February to highlight the importance of community involvement and support in the fight against cancer in children in every country of the world. CCI and SIOP have joined forces in a three-year campaign for ICCD (2021–2023), using the universal image of colourfully painted children’s handprints to represent survival rates, as well as the Tree of Life, symbolising that childhood cancer is curable. In each of the three years — 2021: we pay tribute to the children and adolescents fighting this insidious disease through posts and awareness campaigns with the hashtag #throughourhands; 2022: with a focus on the healthcare teams, with the hashtag #throughyourhands; and 2023: paying tribute to the families and the people who care for them, with the hashtag #throughtheirhands.

Let us remember how important it is for all of us to work together, because the right of access to quality treatment cannot be a matter of geography.

“The world is developing, and medicine is making significant progress. Every day, teams with different competences in the field, and parent organisations, work to improve the conditions for the treatment and recovery of children with cancer. In the countries of Eastern Europe, the shortage of staff in medical teams is felt even more drastically. This crisis deepens every year. The only motivation that leads young specialists to paediatric oncology wards is their love for children and for the profession. What matters is not only the staff’s medical training, but also their readiness to give emotional support to the young patients. Building trust with the children helps them accept the diagnosis, creates emotional comfort and makes it easier for them to cooperate during painful procedures. It is precisely this trust that is the key to recovery. The illness is insidious and cruel. It turns childhood into monotonous and painful survival. The colours are wiped out of a child’s world, sometimes for years. That is exactly why our support is so important. To lead the children along the thorny path by creating a colourful lane. To teach them to believe, to dream, to play…again and in spite of the illness.”

Simona Karaivanova

The official press release of CCI and SIOP (PDF in Bulgarian)