Tied with Love

As we step into October, we pause to reflect on a truly meaningful month just gone: Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

September is always a time that unites our community in purpose and compassion. It’s a month where we come together to shine a light on the realities of childhood cancer – to acknowledge the strength of every child who fights or has fought, every survivor who inspires, and every family who continues to face the ripple effects of this journey long after treatment ends.

Through our Tie A Ribbon campaign, we watched our community turn yellow, with schools, workplaces, shopfronts, and front fences wrapped in a symbol of hope and solidarity. Each ribbon tied carried its own story: for a fighter, for a survivor, for someone remembered, or simply in support of every family who has heard those life-shifting words, ‘your child has cancer’.

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated – whether you tied a ribbon, wore yellow, donated, or shared a message of encouragement. Every gesture mattered. Every ribbon told a child and their family that they are not alone.

At Challenge, we know that awareness is not just about a month. It’s about understanding that childhood cancer doesn’t end when the calendar turns. For the families we support, the impact stretches far beyond September. Treatment may finish, but the emotional, social, and psychological effects continue, sometimes in ways that are unseen. That’s why Challenge exists: to walk beside families every step of the way –  through hospital stays and holidays, through music therapy sessions and support camps, through the quiet moments when they need to know someone is there.

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month reminds us why this work matters. It gives families the visibility they deserve. It sparks conversations about what support really looks like, not just in moments of crisis but in the years of recovery, readjustment, and remembrance that follow.

Your involvement this September helped amplify that message. It showed that our community stands together; that compassion is stronger than fear, that hope can be shared, and that awareness can transform into action.

But while the ribbons may come down, our commitment remains. Our fight for better days for these children and their families continues every day of the year. Because for us, September is not an end. It’s a reminder to keep talking about childhood cancer, to keep showing up, and to keep offering support that is personal, practical, and impactful.

To everyone who played a part this month: thank you. You helped create a wave of visibility and kindness that will ripple far beyond September. And as we look ahead, we carry that same energy forward: to keep making a difference, one family at a time, one moment at a time.