National Childhood Cancer Day Commemorates Children "Taken Too Soon," Those Fighting It, And Those Who Survived

Every year, about 150 families in the state, and about 13,000 nationwide, will receive the horrifying news that their child has cancer.

An organization called Circle of Care will be there for them.

The local participants in Circle of Care were recognized for the work supporting families that include children with cancer Monday during a Board of Selectman meeting at town hall. The participants in the group, in turn, turned it into an opportunity to get the word out about their group and the work the group provides to families.

Circle of Care provides support by doing the following:

• guides families with childhood cancer to local services and resources
• giving families Bags of Love with toiletries, a thermometer, prepaid phone cards, meal and parking vouchers, a resource guide, a book and toy for each child, messages of support and more
• providing A Lifeline Emergency Fund to provide financial support for families struggling with high medical co-payments and hidden costs associated with treatments
• providing a peer counseling telephone support network that links survivor families with newly diagnosed families.
• providing laptop computers and iPads for in-patient use
• providing a book of websites, books, videos, and support groups called "The Purple Pages"
• supporting a network of volunteers who provide respite care at the clinic and at the pediatric oncology in-patient units
• providing "Art from the Heart" which "transforms a cancer patient's bedroom at home into a personal wonderland."

Circle of Care volunteers attending the selectmen's meeting included Sheri Pasqueloni, Tina Garrity, Carroll Newton, Shelley Farmer, Abigail Sperry, Joanne DuBosque, Annie McHugh, and Jill Swimmer.