LAURINBURG — September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and local nonprofit Live Like Madison is encouraging the community to look beyond the statistics and remember the children and families whose lives are forever changed by a pediatric cancer diagnosis.
Throughout September 2026, Live Like Madison will shine a light on childhood cancer through its “More Than a Diagnosis” story series. The series will feature the personal journeys, challenges, memories, and hopes of local families who have experienced childhood cancer firsthand. By sharing these intimate narratives, the organization hopes to create a powerful community of support — ensuring that other local families currently facing a diagnosis know they are truly not alone in their battle.
The stories will be shared throughout the month on Live Like Madison’s Facebook and Instagram pages, as well as on the organization’s website at livelikemadison.org.
“Every child who faces cancer is so much more than a diagnosis,” said Laura Fedak, president of Live Like Madison. “They are sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, friends, students, athletes, and artists. Their families have stories that deserve to be heard. Our deepest hope is that this series helps our community understand the very real impact childhood cancer has on an entire family, while offering comfort and solidarity to any family walking this difficult path right now.”
Childhood cancer remains a critical issue even though it is relatively rare compared with adult diagnoses. Affected families often face months or years of intense treatments, hospital stays, uncertainty, and difficult decisions while trying to maintain a sense of normalcy for their children.
For Live Like Madison, awareness is about more than wearing gold or displaying a ribbon. It is about making sure childhood cancer is truly seen, understood, and remembered.
To provide visible reminders throughout the month, Live Like Madison will display Childhood Cancer Awareness banners across downtown Laurinburg. Community members are also encouraged to wear gold, talk about the issue, and help spread awareness.
The organization will offer Childhood Cancer Awareness merchandise through its website, including personalized awareness shirts and yard signs, for those who wish to show their support publicly.
Live Like Madison was founded in memory of Madison Fedak, a Laurinburg child who lost her battle with osteosarcoma at the age of 7. Since its founding, the organization has worked to honor Madison’s legacy by providing comfort and support to children with cancer and their families, raising awareness, and funding vital pediatric cancer research.
“This September, we want people to understand that childhood cancer is not just a statistic or something that happens somewhere else,” Fedak said. “Behind every diagnosis is a child with a story and a family whose life has been changed. We invite our community to read these stories, share them, and stand with these families so that no one has to fight this disease in isolation.”
Community members can follow Live Like Madison on Facebook and Instagram throughout September to meet the featured families. To learn more, read the stories, or view awareness merchandise, visit livelikemadison.org.
