Los Gatos Declares Childhood Cancer Awareness Day

Members of attended the Los Gatos Town Council meeting Tuesday evening to have Mayor Steve Rice present them with a proclamation declaring

Headed by student , the club has been working hard to raise awareness about childhood cancer by hosting events and fundraisers about and for cancer research.

On Sept. 15, several businesses in town will display a sign on their windows to indicate how on the day of the observance, a percentage of their sales will be donated to Curesearch, one of the largest and most respected nonprofits that promotes childhood cancer awareness and funding for childhood cancer research.

FLechsig said also on that evening, LGHS students will gather in front of the school's front lawn that evening with luminarias that are being sold for $5 to benefit Camp Okizu, a free cancer camp for children, their siblings, and families, and The Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Intiative.

The LGHS senior said many children are affected by sarcomas, including her oldest sister, Natalie, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma when she was 18 years old. She's been in remission now for three years.

Natalie was diagnosed with cancer in 2008. "It was really sad. My mom was gone to be with my sister at the hospital for three to five days at a time. She received chemotherapy treatments for nine months and she had to have a big surgery on her leg," Flechsig told Los Gatos Patch in an earlier interview.

"We've lost three children [in town] to this disease in the past three years," Flechsig said. "We want to bring awareness to the cause and make sure we support these families."

Last year, the club raised more than $13,000 through its fundraising efforts through the events and the Make a Wish Foundation.

The proclamation recognized that thousands of children across the country fight pediatric cancer every year facing life threatening battles against the disease which still remains a mystery as far as its causes.

Rice said pediatric cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease for children in the country under the age of 15. He said although research advances have made pediatric cancer more treatable than ever before, with the five-year survival rate for young patients that has risen to 80 percent in the past half century, serious challenges remain.

Children who survive cancer frequently struggle with significant complications later in life, the mayor stated.

Rice thanked club members for their efforts and encouraged Los Gatos residents to support research, doctors and advocates working to improve treatments, find cures and help all children in the future when faced with the disease.

Childhood cancer research receives less than 4 percent from organizations and events like the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, according to Flechsig. 

Town businesses interested in participating in the event and those who want to purchase luminarias should contact Lu Ann Flechsig at 408-206-3931, or email her at luannf@comcast.net.