Pediatric Cancer

Every day 43 children are diagnosed with cancer.

The American Cancer Society estimates nearly 16,000 children, ages birth to 19, will be diagnosed with cancer in the United States annually, according to research published by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Five-year survival rates are rising beyond 80 percent, thanks to improved treatments and advanced therapies. However, diagnoses continue to rise, as do the costs of life-saving treatments.

The challenges of managing ongoing hospital and in-home cancer care costs often lead to extreme financial situations, even bankruptcy. The ASCO research reveals 84 percent of families in the United States experience some form of work disruption: reduced hours and job change/loss as a result of their child’s cancer diagnosis. Twenty percent of these families lost more than 40 percent of their income. Non-medical expenses directly associated with a child’s cancer treatment average 38 percent of a family’s gross income.

Your financial or in-kind support will make a tremendous difference, lessening the financial burden on families already struggling with unimaginable life or death decisions….and helping expand the research focused on pediatric cancers.