Children’s & Women’s Hospital marks Childhood Cancer Awareness Month with reunion, bell-ringing ceremony
The National Cancer Institute estimates that 14,690 children and adolescents up to age 19 were diagnosed with cancer in the United States in 2025, with an estimated 1,650 deaths. Cancer is the leading cause of death from disease among children after infancy.
By Casandra Andrews
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September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a time to recognize the children, families and caregivers impacted by the disease while highlighting the need for continued research, treatment advances and support for survivors.
At Children’s & Women’s Hospital, the month will include a celebration of the childhood cancer community and a milestone event for other pediatric patients who completed treatment in the last 12 months.
The hospital’s Mapp Child and Family Life Program will host its third annual Childhood Cancer Reunion from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, in the hospital’s outdoor courtyard. The event is open to anyone who has been part of a childhood cancer journey at the hospital, including current and former patients, family members, caregivers, and staff. Activities will include arts and crafts, visits with pet therapy animals, photos with Azalea Trail Maids and a photo booth.
The reunion is designed to give families an opportunity to reconnect with the physicians, nurses, child life staff, and other members of the multidisciplinary team who supported them during treatment, while also allowing current and former patients to connect with one another.
“Childhood cancer often changes the lives of children and their families in ways that extend far beyond a diagnosis,” said Beth Abston, a certified recreational therapist who plans the reunion. “Raising awareness gives our community an opportunity to recognize these courageous children, support the families who walk with them and remember those we have lost. It also reminds us why continued investment in research, innovative treatments and compassionate, family-centered care is vital.”
Later in September, the hospital will also recognize more than a dozen pediatric patients who are marking the end of their cancer treatment with a private bell-ringing ceremony. The tradition gives each child an opportunity to ring a bronze bell, symbolizing the completion of a difficult chapter and the beginning of a new one. USA Health has held the ceremonies each September as part of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month for more than a decade. The ceremonies can be especially meaningful for children and their families after months or years of chemotherapy, procedures, hospital visits, and time away from school, friends, and normal routines.
The National Cancer Institute estimates that 14,690 children and adolescents up to age 19 were diagnosed with cancer in the United States in 2025, with an estimated 1,650 deaths. Cancer is the leading cause of death from disease among children after infancy.
At the same time, advances in treatment have dramatically improved outcomes. The cancer mortality rate among children and adolescents younger than 20 declined by more than 50% from 1975 to 2022, according to the NCI. About 85% of children diagnosed with cancer now survive at least five years after diagnosis.
The City of Mobile also recognized the importance of the cause. The Mobile City Council proclaimed September 2026 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, joining communities nationwide in drawing attention to childhood cancer and the families who face it. Members of the care team from Children’s & Women’s Hospital attended the city council meeting to receive the proclamation.
