Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I second the amendment tabled by Senator Byrne. I wish to highlight the fact that September is a month where we try to create awareness of childhood cancer. There is an international campaign to this end and the official symbol of that campaign is the gold ribbon. I would like to think that we would all get behind the campaign by the Childhood Cancer Foundation in Ireland which is holding its own campaign for the second year. This campaign is called Light It Up Gold and means that in excess of 60 buildings and other landmarks will be lit in gold to highlight that awareness of childhood cancer.

Over 200 children are diagnosed with cancer each year. This means that four families each week receive the devastating news that a child has cancer. The reason for creating awareness is that sometimes these things are under the radar but it does not take from the suffering of the families or the patients involved and it certainly does not take in any way from the concerns which many families have.

There is a need for a programme of early diagnosis. We see improvements in other areas but we could have improvement in that area. We also need proper and appropriate services for children who have been diagnosed with cancer. Again, there is a vacuum in this regard. What people expect people in this House to do is not necessarily to lead a campaign but to get behind them in the work they do. Very often, they are the unsung heroes and heroines in this regard. The work is ongoing all the time and it is only those people who receive the results of those services who fully understand how important they are and how important it is that there is someone there to speak for them as well. There are still some days left in September.

We should avail of any opportunity we might have to get behind this campaign and lend our support, big or small, to it.