Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano joined with County Legislator Rose Marie Walker, members of the Winthrop-University Hospital Cancer Center for Kids and the Christina Renna Foundation, on Thursday, Sept. 1, at a ceremony recognizing September as Pediatric Cancer Awareness month. The dome of the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola was illuminated gold, as a beacon of hope for children that are battling cancer, and to remember those children who have lost their lives.
“Thank you all for joining us here to mark September as Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month,” said County Executive Mangano. “While the dome is lit up gold for the next week, it is important to pause and reflect on all the children and families, including the Renna family, who are battling pediatric cancer, all who have survived, all who have lost their battle and all that we must do to help beat pediatric cancer.”
Cancer is diagnosed in 1 out of every 285 children under the age of 20 in the United States. As of January 2016, statistics indicate that approximately 10,380 children in the US under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer in 2016 alone. Recent studies indicate that as a result of major treatment advances in recent decades, more than 80% of children with cancer now survive 5 years or more.
The Christina Renna Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting children’s cancer research and furthering awareness and education through the support of cancer groups and outreach programs for the direct support of those in need. The foundation was started by Phil and Rene Renna after their daughter Christina lost her battle with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer, in 2007. The foundation continues Christina’s legacy to raise awareness by bringing Long Island’s communities together with other concerned advocacy groups.
