Saskatoon mom walking to bring awareness to young cancer survivors

As families reflect on Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a Saskatoon mother is helping raise awareness about the harsh realities of children who survive the disease.
 
Carolyn Anderson’s son Micah was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2013. Two years after his diagnosis , Micah is cancer free.

“He’s is doing fairly well,” Anderson said on the Brent Loucks Show Friday.
 
But Anderson said her 11-year-old son now lives with the side effects following two years of harsh treatments.
 
According to the Childhood Cancer Canada Foundation, nearly one in four children diagnosed with cancer this year in Canada will die from the disease. Because of advancements in therapy more are surviving. Survivors, however, still face a great risk of developing a chronic health condition later in life.
 
“Many develop secondary cancers because of this treatment when their bodies were so little and couldn’t handle all the toxic chemicals,” Anderson said.”That’s why we’re having the awareness; so that their needs to be new treatments so that their bodies can still grow to be healthy.”
 
Anderson has helped organize a walk to bring awareness to the issue. The event will be held Sunday at the amphitheatre at River Landing from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.