An emotional day at the Pediatric Oncology Clinic at Windsor Regional Hospital.
Families and staff shared their stories Wednesday about childhood cancer since September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
They offered words of encouragement for those dealing with the disease.
Caroline Rice's two year old son was diagnosed with cancer in 1999 and survived. Today he's a healthy 22-year-old who's travelled the world.
Rice tells CTV News it is imperative families stay persistent in the fight against cancer, and always hold on to hope.
“Just keep striving forward and try to do your best and just have faith and hope in god that things are going to work out and turn out okay," says Rice.
Mason Macri passed away at the age of four in June 2016 from a rare form of cancer.
His parents have launched the Fight Like Mason Foundation, and to date, they have raised $500,000 to help children with cancer and to find a cure.
Hospital officials say there are 15 new childhood cancer cases in Windsor-Essex each year while 30 children are in active treatment.
Stats also show more than 400 children in Ontario are diagnosed with cancer every year. In Canada, there are 1,300 childhood cancer cases and 800 of them are for children under the age of 14.
The survival rate is 85 per cent.
