Childhood Cancer Awareness Fact #5:

In 80% of kids with cancer, the cancer has already spread to other areas of the body by the time it is diagnosed. That is why so many children with cancer must start treatment immediately. Many adult cancers can be diagnosed early.

Axel was part of that 80%. His cancer was not detected early and many doctors dismissed his symptoms as normal childhood sickness. Axel’s cancer had spread to multiple organ systems and therefore was categorized as the worse stage, Stage IV - High Risk. Ax had Neuroblastoma for quite sometime before he displayed symptoms. Had he been diagnosed before his first birthday, his survival chance would have jumped from 40% to 90%! But he was not diagnosed at 1, he was 2.5 before we realized something was serious wrong. Axel was the 1 in 2 that did not survive.

Childhood cancer awareness fact #4:

75.7% of families fighting childhood cancer will have a parent reduce hours or leave their job altogether.