BAY MINETTE, Ala. — The hallways of Bay Minette Elementary School turned gold as students lined up with signs and flags to cheer on two classmates who are battling cancer, part of a countywide effort by Baldwin County Public Schools to mark Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
The celebration took the form of a parade through the school’s halls, with nearly everyone on campus dressed in gold, the color that represents childhood cancer awareness. The goal was simple: to show the two students and their families that they are not fighting alone.
For the families, that message landed.
“It really fills our heart with so much joy,” said Lindsay Bailey, the mother of one of the students, Ada. “After everything that Ada has been through and our family, to see all these kids rallying behind her, cheering her on, it’s just incredibly, incredibly special.”
At a Glance
- Where: Bay Minette Elementary School, Baldwin County Public Schools
- What: A hallway parade and gold-out celebration honoring two students diagnosed with cancer
- Why: September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and Baldwin County Public Schools are “going gold” in support
- Symbol: Gold, the color of the childhood cancer awareness ribbon
A School Rallies Around Its Own
Across Baldwin County, public schools have been going gold this month to draw attention to childhood cancer. At Bay Minette Elementary, the effort became personal.
Students waved flags and held up signs as the parade moved through the halls, turning an ordinary school day into a show of encouragement for two young classmates. Nearly everyone at the school was decked out in gold, making the message impossible to miss.
Bailey said that kind of support makes a hard road a little easier for families.
“It certainly makes everything that we go through so much easier. If that’s possible,” Bailey said. “It really helps to show and spread that awareness, and it gives these young children a glimpse of the reality of what some kids go through and to really make them feel better and cheer them on. It’s just it’s amazing.”
Her words point to something educators and child life specialists often note: events like this one help classmates understand what their friends are facing, and they give young children a concrete way to show kindness.
Why Gold?
While pink has become closely associated with breast cancer awareness, the gold ribbon is the recognized symbol of childhood cancer. Advocates have described gold as fitting because it is a precious metal, a reflection of how precious children are and of the strength young patients show during treatment.
Each September, schools, hospitals, businesses and landmarks across the country go gold to raise awareness. Families of children with cancer often say that the visibility matters, both as encouragement and as a way to draw attention and funding to research on cancers that affect children.
Childhood Cancer by the Numbers
Cancer in children is rare compared with cancer in adults, but it touches thousands of families every year. According to the American Cancer Society:
- About 9,680 children in the United States are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in 2026.
- Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer, followed by brain and spinal cord tumors.
- About 85% of children with cancer now survive five years or more, up from roughly 58% in the mid-1970s.
The National Cancer Institute reports that cancer remains the leading cause of death from disease among children past infancy in the United States. That combination of real progress and continuing need is why advocates say awareness months still matter. Pediatric cancers differ in important ways from adult cancers, and many families and researchers push for more funding directed specifically at treatments designed for children.
Supporting Students Through Treatment
For school-age children, a cancer diagnosis often means long stretches away from the classroom for hospital stays, treatments and recovery. Schools can play an important role in keeping those students connected to their friends and their education.
Under federal law, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, students whose medical conditions affect their learning may qualify for accommodations such as modified schedules, extra time on assignments, rest breaks or instruction at home or in the hospital. Families of children in treatment are encouraged to talk with their school’s administrators and counselors about the options available.
Just as important, experts say, is the social side. Cards, video calls and moments like a hallway parade help children in treatment feel that they still belong, even when they cannot be in class every day.
How the Community Can Help
Families facing childhood cancer often say the most meaningful support comes in practical forms. Some ways residents can help include:
- Give blood or platelets: Children undergoing cancer treatment frequently need blood and platelet transfusions. Local blood drives help keep supplies ready.
- Join the bone marrow registry: Some childhood cancers are treated with stem cell or bone marrow transplants, and the national registry run by NMDP helps match patients with donors.
- Support local families: Meals, gas cards, help with siblings and simple check-ins can ease the burden on families making frequent trips for treatment.
- Support research and patient programs: Reputable childhood cancer organizations fund research and provide assistance to families.
- Wear gold: During September, wearing gold and sharing reliable information helps spread awareness.
Awareness Across the Region
Bay Minette Elementary’s celebration is one of several ways the Gulf Coast is marking the month. In Mobile, USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital is hosting its third annual Childhood Cancer Reunion on Sunday, Sept. 27, bringing together current and former patients, families and the care teams who treated them, and the Mobile City Council proclaimed September 2026 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
Elsewhere in Baldwin County, other schools have held their own gold-themed celebrations for students fighting cancer, reflecting the countywide push by the school system.
For Bailey, the sight of an entire school rallying behind her daughter was a reminder of what a community can do. And for the students who lined the halls, the lesson may last well beyond September: when a friend is going through something hard, you show up and cheer.