‘Old Joe’ marks the end of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (CCAM) has been running throughout September, so to mark the end of the month, our teams helped a Birmingham landmark to turn gold.
Birmingham Children’s Hospital staff arranged for ‘Old Joe’, the clock at the heart of the University of Birmingham was lit up gold on Friday 29 September to mark the end of the month.
Patients on the Oncology wards also joined in to mark the moment with a special Gold Party, which featured magicians, balloon artists and live music.
Every day in the UK, 10 children and young people will receive the news that they have cancer. The month, which is recognised across the world, allows people to raise money and awareness about the experiences of children with cancer, and encourage supporters to wear a gold ribbon badge.
Eloise Neumann, Advanced Nurse Practitioner for Neuro-Oncology, arranged for the clock to light up gold. She said: “It was great to see the clock to turn gold, thank you to the university for arranging this for us, and it was heart-warming to see so many smiling faces on the ward today, enjoying the fantastic party.
“We look after patients with cancer all year round, but it is great to have this month to be able to let the rest of the UK population know about different treatments and the experience our patients go through. By raising this awareness, we can help people understand the condition, and may even save a life by giving them the right information.”
Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (CCAM) started in 1990, and 2023 marks its 33rd anniversary. To find out more about the month go to https://www.childrenwithcancer.org.uk/about-us/childhood-cancer-awareness-month/