Ukandu

Childhood cancer doesn't just happen to the patient. It impacts each member of the family.

When a child hears "you have cancer," their whole family hears it too. Parents become full-time medical experts and advocates overnight. Siblings watch from the sidelines, carrying fear, grief, and isolation. Households lose income, routines shatter, and every member of the family is left navigating uncertainty -- together and alone.

Families deserve more. More support, more joy, more community, and more awareness. This Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we ask you to see the whole family and what each person carries. We can only begin to heal when we begin to name what we carry.

Last Friday was Ukandu's Annual Golf Tournament. Over 140 golfers came together to golf, have fun, and support families facing a childhood cancer diagnosis.

Thank you to our sponsors who made this tournament possible -- especially our presenting sponsor Walsh Construction.

Another huge thank you to our volunteer Golf Committee who planed and ran this year's tournament!

85% of children diagnosed with cancer today will live at least five years past diagnosis. That number represents decades of research, better treatments, and children who get to grow up. It deserves to be celebrated. But it's not the whole story.

Because surviving cancer and being finished with cancer aren't always the same thing. Many survivors face lifelong effects long after treatment ends — heart and lung problems, infertility, neurocognitive and emotional challenges, even second cancers caused by the treatments that saved them.

🎗️60–90%+ of childhood cancer survivors will develop at least one chronic health condition
🎗️ By age 50, over half have faced a severe or life-threatening health condition — vs. 1 in 5 of their siblings
🎗️ Secondary cancer is one of the leading causes of death among childhood cancer survivors

And 85% isn't 100%. There are still far too many families — too many kids — who have birthdays, milestones, and everyday moments ripped away by cancer.

This Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we want to celebrate the progress we've made and acknowledge how far we've come. But we can't ignore how far we still have to go. Our kids need better treatments, better care, and better outcomes.

"Ukandu has become so much of who I am and what I do that I can't imagine not volunteering."

Marcie -- better known as Smalls around Ukandu -- began volunteering after getting connected through her employer. Now, she attends both Camp Ukandu and Ukandu Family Camp and serves on Ukandu's Board of Directors.

We are so thankful to have Smalls as a part of our Ukandu community -- you can read more about her experience volunteering here: https://www.ukandu.org/blog/smalls

Thank you, KGW-TV, for sharing about Ukandu and The Loft.

We are so excited to bring this much-needed resource to families battling childhood cancer when we open our doors in October.

Portland's new center offers refuge for families facing childhood cancer challenges Ukandu plans on opening a new center called The Loft next month, designed to give support and a safe space for families whose children are battling cancer.

This year, over 15,000 kids will be diagnosed with cancer. And in that same moment, their families will be asked to navigate a maze of disjointed services just to save their child's life and spirit.

But that's more than a number. It's real families feeling the real weight of a childhood cancer diagnosis, every single day.

It's caregivers desperately searching for treatment options, behavioral health support, a community that "just gets it," or simply a way to put a smile back on their kid's face.

It's siblings feeling alone and scared — afraid to burden their caregivers with their own needs or feelings.

It's kids who are tired of being brave, tired of being in pain, tired of missing out on normal childhood experiences.

Families deserve better. They deserve wraparound support the second they receive a diagnosis. They deserve a community that gets it and shows up — no questions asked.

Join us this month as we fight for a future where no family has to face childhood cancer alone. 💛🎗️

"Swimming a rapid isn't a failure, it's an opportunity."

That's what one teen told us after a week of whitewater kayaking and camping under the stars at Ukandu's Teen Retreat in partnership with LEAP. These teens have already survived things they never chose. Watching them opt into a challenge anyway? It's nothing short of magical.

Read more about our week at Teen Retreat and why this program is such a critical part of Ukandu's mission here: https://www.ukandu.org/blog/the-impact-of-opting-into-challenge