LAUREL, Indiana — September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
It's an effort to draw awareness to the nearly 16,000 young people diagnosed with cancer each year — and that number is increasing by about 1% every year.
Sara Murrell is a third grader from Laurel, Indiana. Her courage through her cancer fight has inspired an entire community.
She is a survivor.
In May 2020, Sara was diagnosed with leukemia. She sought treatment at nearby Cincinnati Children's Hospital.
Amid the many appointments and therapies, Sara was intent on staying on track with her education. She took classes online and hopes to someday be a doctor.
Sara has seen firsthand the value of caring for others.
Her family also sees a need to bring awareness to the many children just like Sara, fighting childhood cancers. This month, they launched the Going for Gold campaign.
"It means to go gold for every cancer kid," Sara explained.
A cancer journey is intense. After 27 months of chemotherapy for T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia, Sara recently received good news: She is cancer-free.
"I stopped taking chemo on Friday," she said.
Sara's community cheered for her, and now, she wants to do that for others so they know they aren't alone.
"The community showing their support lets these kids know you're loved and you're cared about," said Robin, Sara's mother. "We are fighting for you, and it puts a smile on her face when she goes out in public and she sees how much gold is around and that people hear her."
Thank you to Sara for using your voice to be a Best You and for turning your experience into an opportunity to inspire and help others.
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