CanTeen Bandanna

Australians are being encouraged to buy and wear a CanTeen Bandanna this October to show their support for young people living with cancer.

National Bandanna Day, the annual fundraising and awareness campaign run by youth cancer charity CanTeen, is being held on Friday 18 October.

'Every year another 23,000 young people have to face the challenge of cancer – whether they've been diagnosed themselves or whether it's their parent, brother or sister," said CanTeen CEO Peter Orchard.

'CanTeen supports young people along every step of their cancer journey by providing specialist services to help them cope with the physical, emotional and social impact of living with cancer.

'Young people at CanTeen wear their bandannas with pride and attitude to show they're fighting cancer together.

'They want Australians everywhere to join them so please buy and wear a CanTeen bandanna this October to show you support their fight and that you've got attitude too," Mr Orchard said.

To find out where bandannas will be on sale in your area, visit bandannaday.com.au. This year, CanTeen hopes to raise $1.7 million during National Bandanna Day in order to provide:

•    dedicated youth cancer centres and services in hospitals
•    face to face, online and phone counselling for young people living with cancer
•    one on one support
•    more than 255 peer support programs where young people living with cancer can come together, support each other and have some fun
•    youth-specific resources to help young people facing cancer
•    an online support service called Now What

Fourteen year-old Mary Jo, who is one of the faces of National Bandanna Day 2013, lost her left eye to cancer in 2011 and then found out her brother had the same cancer as her.

'When I got cancer, everything changed for me. Dying scared me the most, but I also felt very different to everyone else," she said.

'I joined CanTeen soon after I was diagnosed and it's amazing to be around people my own age who understand what I'm going through and who can comfort me if I'm feeling down and in need of advice.

'Thank you in advance to everyone who buys a bandanna this year – the money you help CanTeen raise will help young people living with cancer. Like me," Mary Jo said.