Comment by mlyle

It's like 4 per 100k kids per year from ages 0-19, but a pretty high portion of that initial incidence is in elementary school ages -- so 1 per 1500 or so over the elementary to middle school years. And that's just leukemia.

Between school sizes, mixing of schools going to middle school, and auxiliary networks through family and parent networks-- you were pretty dang likely to know someone or know of someone who was affected by childhood cancer. No, it's not a universal experience.

In my extended social circle, I know of 3 cases of childhood cancer that would have had a high fatality rate 2-3 decades ago.