Paint the town gold ... cause kids get cancer too

It is a parent’s worst nightmare to hear their child is sick and has cancer but unfortunately that is the new dozens of parents across northern Ontario receive on a daily basis.

With no children’s cancer specialists in the north families must travel to Toronto, Ottawa or London or points beyond to seek treatment and that becomes a huge emotional and financial burden, so who do you turn to for help – the Northern Ontario Families of Children with Cancer is a great place to start.

The Northern Ontario Families of Children with Cancer, a hidden gem in the north, is a local registered charity based out of Sudbury that supports families in the north who have a child diagnosed with cancer and in need of immediate financial support.


To date the organization has received the bulk of their support from the Sudbury area but they want to change things up and not only drum up financial support for northern children but bring awareness to disease.

“Childhood Cancer is the number one killer of children in this country and they deserve more recognition,” notes NOFCC Volunteer and Fund Development Coordinator Dayna Caruso.

“The Canadian Cancer Society only puts 2.4% of their research funding into paediatric oncology, and the Ministry of Health only provides 3% of all cancer research dollars to paediatric cancer. This is just simply not enough.”

With 10 children on active treatment in the North Bay region, Mayor Al McDonald confirmed his support of the NOFCC’s efforts by proclaiming September Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in the City during a ceremony at City Hall Wednesday.