Police, superheroes raise spirits for brave children battling cancer
MIAMI — September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month; and, hundreds of superheroes, police officers and everyday heroes turned out to raise awareness and raise the spirits of those brave children battling cancer.
The goal of Saturday's "Gold Ribbon Parade" is to let kids and their families know that they're not alone while fighting the disease. For those who couldn't make it outside, people dressed up as superheroes like Batwoman and the Flash, along with many supporters, waved as they watched from their rooms.
Megan Venus and her mom know firsthand how much the parade means to those affected by pediatric cancer.
"It's super cool how all the superheroes got to be here for the kids watching from their windows," she said. "Because there's so many people supporting, going through everyone's journey with cancer."
Daniela Valera lost her son Jeremiah last fall to cancer. She returned this year to support other families.
"This is the first time back since he passed and we thought that he would love to be here. So, we're just here representing him," she said. "It's really hard but it means the world when you're in those rooms to have the support of everyone here, that you're not alone and we're doing it for him."
The parade began at Nicklaus Children's Hospital and made stops at Holtz and Joe DiMaggio in Hollywood. The event is organized by the Mystic Force Foundation, whose founder Silvia Dominguez Vanni lost her four-year-old son to cancer.
"You don't see the backstory," she said. "You don't see them in the hospital going through chemotherapy and radiation and bone marrow transplants. You don't see all the torture they go through on a daily basis. So, we do whatever we can to bring them happiness."
Organizers said another big part of their mission is to lobby for more funding for childhood cancer research.
