The Golden Ribbon

Joshua Bie ’28

Do you know what the golden ribbon represents?

In a recent Harvard-Westlake School survey, conducted by the HW Go Gold Club, approximately 90% of the participants surveyed said they did not know what the golden ribbon represents. It represents the internationally recognized symbol of childhood cancer.

Go Gold Club is a student-run club aimed at raising awareness of childhood cancer in the Harvard-Westlake community.  “It is sad that not many people know what the golden ribbon represents. Raising awareness is the first step to finding the cure,” the founder of the club said.

Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death in children. Each day, 43 children are diagnosed with childhood cancer. Every year, 15% of these patients die. Among those children who survive the first five years from diagnosis, 18% will die over the next 25 years.

If you walk into the fourth floor of the inpatient center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, you will often see a child tangled in intravenous (IV) lines while riding a tricycle down the hallway. He looks pretty thin, and his face is pale. He is supposed to enjoy school like us. Instead, he has to be isolated because chemotherapy has wiped out his immune system.

Each child deserves the right to go to school. Each child deserves the right to be with their parents. Each child deserves the right to grow up. 

As the HW  survey results clearly show, awareness levels surrounding the topic of childhood cancer are low, and we should make a change.

Awareness means a lot to the children and the families since it will bring in new hope and provide the opportunity to support them. We must foster awareness. You can do this by educating yourself and others about the signs and symptoms of childhood cancer. By spreading knowledge, we can empower parents, teachers, and healthcare professionals to recognize the warning signs and take quick action. Together, we can ensure that no child’s suffering goes unnoticed or unaddressed.

If you are looking for opportunities to raise awareness or support children battling cancer, you can join the Go Gold Club every Friday, during break, in SE102.