WHEREAS, cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children and is detected in more than 15,000 of our country's sons and daughters every year; and

WHEREAS, the State of Maine has one of the highest rates of childhood cancer in the nation, with 60 Maine children diagnosed with cancer annually; and

WHEREAS, thanks to ongoing advances in research and treatment, the five-year survival rate for all childhood cancers has climbed from less than 50 percent to 80 percent over the last several decades; and

WHEREAS, innovative studies are leading to real breakthroughs, reminding us of the importance of supporting scientific discovery and moving closer to finding cures, though much work remains to be done; and

WHEREAS, in accordance with Sec. 1 MRS §150-O, the State designates the month of March as Maine Childhood Cancer Awareness Month;

NOW, THEREFORE, be it resolved that I, Janet T. Mills, Governor of the State of Maine, do hereby recognize March 2024 as

Maine Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

in Maine, and I urge all citizens to remember the children who have been taken away from us too soon, to support those who continue to battle this illness with strength and courage, and to pay tribute to the families, friends, medical professionals and organizations who support and care for children fighting pediatric cancer.

In testimony whereof, I have caused the Great Seal of the State to be hereunto affixed GIVEN under my hand at Augusta this twentieth day of February Two Thousand Twenty-Four