Two blocks away, three blocks away, four blocks away from my home in Davidson. Three children just in my neighborhood paint a frightening picture of how widespread pediatric cancer has become.  One child in every 285 will be diagnosed with some form of cancer before the age of 20, the American Cancer Society reported in January.

Thanks to a Davidson mom’s passionate plea, Wells Fargo’s Duke Energy Center in Charlotte plans to light the building gold this Friday, Sept. 12, for National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day.

Eileen O’Flaherty, whose son Griffin Lynch was diagnosed with a brain tumor four years ago, got the idea to ask the center to “Go Gold” after she read about the Empire State Building’s refusal to go gold earlier this month. Instead, Times Square came out shining on Sept. 2 for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Fourteen billboards lit up the night in gold to raise awareness.

“I reached out to the Wells Fargo’s Duke Energy Center and was thrilled with their quick response of positive support,” O’Flaherty says.

For months the family knew something was wrong and Griffin underwent several medical tests and appointments, but his primary symptoms, fatigue and weight loss, seemed to add up more to an inflammatory disease such as Epstein Barr, Lyme disease, depression or even illegal drug use — but not a brain tumor or other cancer. Griffin dealt with his chronic fatigue by consuming energy drinks, so his headaches, which he did not perceive as severe, seemed a likely response to the ups and downs of heavy caffeine use.

“When my son, Griffin Lynch, was diagnosed with a brain tumor on Sept. 19, 2010, at age 17, I become aware of the need to spread awareness about pediatric cancer,” O’Flaherty says. “Prior to his diagnosis, Griffin was displaying classic signs of pediatric cancer, including fatigue, unexplained weight loss, headaches, and occasional early morning vomiting. Yet he wasn’t diagnosed until he collapsed at our home and the tumor was producing so much inter-cranial pressure that we were told he had only days to survive without surgery.”

From Cookies for Kids’ Cancer bake sales to bike races, events in Davidson, Charlotte and across the country are helping to raise money for pediatric cancer research. For many sick children, though, funding and treatment advances aren’t coming fast enough. For Griffin, an earlier diagnosis may have meant a less complex surgery with fewer TBI side effects and a reduced chance of vision loss, his mom says.

“Before I became a cancer mom, I was completely unaware of the current funding status for pediatric cancer research. In January 2014, the American Cancer Society recalculated the childhood cancer statistics and now believes that, in the United States, one child in every 285 will be diagnosed with some form of cancer before the age of 20,” O’Flaherty says.

“Despite these high statistics, the American Cancer Society directs only one percent for kids and the National Cancer Institute only allots 4 percent of their total budget to researchers working on pediatric cancer projects. Much of the scientific funding comes from private fundraising organizations like Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, St. Baldrick’s, and Curesearch. And often it is the parents of cancer patients who are leading their fundraising efforts.”

Each October, the color pink pops up all over to raise breast cancer awareness, and that awareness has led to earlier detection, increased research, increased support services and lives saved.

“It is time for similar attention to be directed towards pediatric cancers — 1 out of every 285 kids are counting on it, not to mention their siblings, parents, friends and other loved ones,” O’Flaherty says.

While she’s excited about one more way to spark awareness, O’Flaherty and her husband Bill Lynch with be out of town and hope friends will take pictures of the “Go for Gold” tower and share them.

RELATED COVERAGE

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