Foundation News

New Web site taking shape

New Canadian partnership with CureSearch www.curesearch.org

The Foundation’s Board has passed a resolution designating September as the month to bring a focus to childhood cancer, each and every year. The Foundation is now planning events for September 2005, in conjunction with children’s hospitals and childhood cancer parent and support groups.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

During this month alone, about 125 children in Canada will be diagnosed with cancer. Although seven out of the 10 of these children will survive, childhood cancer remains the single biggest cause of death (after accidents) in children over the age of one. And for those children who survive, many will live with ongoing health related issues. (See In the News: Child Cancer Survivors Have Other Problems)

To generate and support Awareness Month activities, we are developing a Media Kit with materials that the media can use to raise awareness for our children and their families. If you have any suggestions for materials that you could use with the media, or ideas for fundraising or media activities, please let me know. I will include them in the kit for all to share.

Upcoming Events

R.O.C.K Ride (Ride for Our Cancer Kids)

July 9th, in Cambridge , Ontario . This is the second annual ride to raise funds for our Foundation. The event is founded by Bob and Lori Thomas in memory of their daughter, Samantha. Pledge a motorcyclist or ride yourself to raise money. More information, pledge forms and ride details: www.rockride.com

ICCPO/SIOP Conference, Vancouver (September 20-24)

Meet parents, survivors, cancer support groups and medical professionals from around the world. Register: www.siop.nl/siop2005 or www.icccpo.org

Fundraising Success

Cut Off Cancer raises over $4,000 for our Foundation

The third annual Cut Off Cancer - sponsored hair cutting event - was held at Unionville High School in May. High school student, Harriet Lye, a childhood cancer survivor, (and daughter of Mary Lye , Director of Media and Communications at the Childhood Cancer Foundation), coordinated this very successful event, raising over $4,000 in just 3 hours through pledges and donations.

The Foundation is developing Cut Off Cancer into a national program. More details will be available in July on our new Web site.

In the news

Child Cancer Survivors Have Other Problems
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050516/ap_on_he_me/cancer_children_4
By Marilynn Marchione
Two out of three children who beat cancer go on to develop other chronic health problems, ranging from heart disease to blindness, because of radiation and other treatments that saved their lives, new research finds. Cancer treatments have vastly improved in recent years, so today's patients shouldn't suffer as many future problems, specialists say. Nevertheless, the research shows the tremendous medical, financial and emotional burdens that those treated in the 1970s and 1980s are now facing. One study found that 1 in 10 survivors are saddled with $25,000 in cancer-related debt. Nearly 10 million Americans have survived cancer, including 270,000 who were diagnosed when they were 15 or younger. Researchers around the country studied 10,397 of them who were diagnosed and treated between 1970 and 1986 and 3,034 of their siblings who did not have cancer. By age 45, cancer survivors were from two to six times more likely than their healthy brothers and sisters to develop various health problems. Examples include heart disease, kidney problems requiring transplants or dialysis, blindness, infertility, mental retardation, paralysis, blood clots, lung problems and even another cancer. Those who had Hodgkin's disease fared the worst, followed by those treated for brain tumors, said the lead researcher, Dr. Kevin Oeffinger of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas . Radiation is responsible for much of the damage, and doses were much higher decades ago than they are today, he said. Chemotherapy drugs also have taken a toll. Some, like the widely used breast cancer medication adriamycin, are known to cause heart problems.

Lower Doses of Chemo Effective in Children
http://www.healthday.com/view.cfm?id=525715
By Robert Preidt

Designer Blood
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/health_science/articles/2005/05/17/designer_blood/
By Gareth Cook

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