TORONTO, September 08, 2026 – As children across Canada head back to school, Childhood Cancer Canada (CCC) is asking Canadians to consider what that familiar milestone looks like for a child with cancer.
This Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, CCC is bringing its Back to School Looks Different for Kids with Cancer campaign under its broader Let’s Face the Unimaginable awareness platform, sharing stories from families navigating childhood cancer.
Throughout September, CCC is shining a light on the unimaginable and often unseen realities of childhood cancer from diagnosis through treatment, survivorship and beyond.
The campaign features Luca, Alice and GP, three children whose experiences with cancer have shaped their return to school. In a different take on the traditional first-day-of-school photo, their signs mark not their grade, but the stage of cancer they were facing.
For Luca, what should have been an exciting week of preparations for Junior Kindergarten was instead the start of an unimaginable journey with a stage 4 Wilms tumour diagnosis. At three years old, he underwent surgery, radiation and chemotherapy after the rare kidney cancer spread to his liver. He finished treatment in June 2023, and today he’s returning to school for another year, cancer-free.
“When Luca was diagnosed, our whole world changed overnight. Instead of preparing for a new school year, we were navigating a new cancer diagnosis and adjusting to treatment plans instead of school,” said Nicole Raso, Luca’s mom and Programs Manager at Childhood Cancer Canada. “What most people see is only a small part of the unimaginable realities that caregivers and families facing childhood cancer experience. The details may be different, but every family needs support to get through it.”
Alice was just 10 months old when she was diagnosed with brain cancer. She underwent 17 months of chemotherapy followed by six months on a clinical trial drug. Now six and heading into Grade 2, Alice remains on watch-and-wait as her tumour continues to grow slowly.
GP was two when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2017, spending more than 170 days in hospital during his first year of treatment. His first day of Junior Kindergarten came after months of hospital rooms and isolation. Today, he is six years cancer-free and heading into Grade 7.
Their stories reflect a larger reality CCC wants Canadians to understand: childhood cancer affects the whole family, and its impact does not end when treatment ends. Parents often must step away from work to manage caregiving, healthcare appointments, siblings’ needs, and increasing expenses not covered by healthcare plans.
“Supporting families facing childhood cancer requires more than one approach,” said Angie Ramalho, Executive Director, Childhood Cancer Canada. “That’s why we invest in pediatric cancer research, financial assistance, and psychosocial support programs, helping families navigate the often unseen realities of childhood cancer while improving outcomes for children and their families.”
Since inception, CCC has invested more than $73 million in childhood cancer research, clinical trials and family support programs, while working with partners to increase support and advocate for children with cancer and their families.
2026 has been a record-breaking year of demand for CCC’s Compassionate Care Program, marking the highest number of financial assistance applications received in a single month in the organization’s history.
In the past two years, CCC has seen an increase of over 40% in applications for financial support from families facing childhood cancer.
“The growing demand we’re seeing shows that too many families are being left to manage the financial realities of childhood cancer on their own,” said Kyle Smith, Director of Development, Childhood Cancer Canada. “While we’re working with partners to respond to families’ immediate needs, there is evident need for sustainable, national support infrastructure for caregivers of children with cancer.”
This fall, CCC is calling on the federal government to increase support for families facing childhood cancer. Through its 2026 federal pre-budget consultation recommendations, CCC is advocating for investment in stronger national supports for families navigating the financial and caregiving realities of childhood cancer.
Throughout Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, CCC is inviting Canadians to face the unimaginable by learning and sharing about the realities of families affected by childhood cancer and helping ensure families can access support when they need it most.
Because while childhood cancer can make milestones like the first day of school look very different, access to support can help ensure no family faces childhood cancer alone.
Both Back to School Looks Different for Kids with Cancer and the broader Let’s Face the Unimaginable platform were created by Toronto-based independent creative agency The Garden.
For more Back-to-School stories and information about CCC’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month advocacy efforts, visit Childhood Cancer Canada.
About Childhood Cancer Canada
Childhood Cancer Canada supports children with cancer and their families across the childhood cancer continuum, from diagnosis and treatment, to survivorship, bereavement and beyond. Through funding family support programs, pediatric cancer research and advocacy, CCC works to ease the emotional and financial impact of childhood cancer and improve outcomes for children and families across Canada.
Media Contact:
Shannon Stephaniuk
Glossy
416-301-0506