Speaker of the New Brunswick legislature Chris Collins took some time to raise awareness of children’s cancer yesterday.
During the introduction of guests in the legislature, he shared some startling statistics, “This is not a rare disease. One in every 285 people will develop cancer before the age of 20, and the incidents of children’s cancer have increased 40 per cent since 1975.” He also noted only three per cent of research money goes to children’s cancer.
He introduced Jack Leifso, who is a young cancer survivor from New Maryland, New Brunswick, who has now been in remission for a year, “I can say from experience, that when a child gets ill from cancer, the whole family gets sick, the whole family gets ill.”
This is a cause that is close to Collins, because he lost his son Sean to the disease in 2007.
Collins also spoke about the gold pin the all federal and provincial politicians are now wearing, that signifies children’s cancer. Those were provided thanks to the family of Maggie Jenkins, a young girl who was taken by cancer in 2014 after only 2 weeks. Her family donated the money for the purchase of the pins.
