Letter to the Editor

As Australian children return to school, hundreds will not. Their desks sit empty as they fight blood cancer – the single biggest disease threatening the lives of school-aged children in Australia today. 

This year alone, around 350 children will be diagnosed with blood cancer. It now accounts for more than one in three childhood cancers, yet remains a largely hidden national tragedy. 

A blood cancer diagnosis is sudden and brutal. Children are forced out of classrooms and into hospital wards, enduring aggressive treatment that can last years. Many miss 40 to 60 per cent of school in their first year alone, with some absent for up to 18 months. The impacts on learning, wellbeing and social development are profound and long-lasting. 

Over the past two decades, blood cancer incidence among children aged five to 14 has risen by almost 30 per cent. If this trend continues, more than 400 children a year could face this devastating diagnosis within the next decade. 

At the Leukaemia Foundation, we see the toll this takes on children and families every day – emotionally, financially and socially. While we provide vital accommodation, transport, education and support services, and invest in life-saving research, we cannot do it alone. 

As the World’s Greatest Shave launches nationally, I urge Australians to stand with these children and all Australians impacted by blood cancer. Participating by shaving, cutting or colouring your hair helps ensure no person faces blood cancer without support. 

Register to participate in the World’s Greatest Shave at worldsgreatestshave.com or call 1800 500 088. 

Chris Tanti 
CEO, Leukaemia Foundation