When a child is diagnosed with cancer, the pain and suffering they endure is unfathomable.  They are alone in this experience. A childhood cancer diagnosis turns the entire family's world upside down.  Family members and friends must cope and live their lives while their child, sibling or friend is fighting for theirs.

Cancer is the number one disease killer of America's children.

1. •    Cancer kills more children each year  than Cystic Fibrosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Asthma and AIDS combined.
   

2. •    One in 330 children will develop cancer by age 20
   

3. •    Although the 5 year survival rate is steadily increasing, one quarter of children will die within 5 years from the time of diagnosis.
   

More than 13,000 children will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year. affecting 90,000 immediate family members.

1. •    Average treatment plan is 2 years.
   

2. •    Cancers in very young children are highly aggressive and behave unlike malignant diseases at other times in life.
   

3. •    80% of children have metastasized cancer at the time of their diagnosis. At diagnosis, only 20% of adults with cancer show evidence that the disease has spread or metastasized.
   

4. •    Detecting childhood cancers at an early stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, is extremely difficult.
   

5. •    Cancer symptoms in children – fever, swollen glands, anemia, bruises and infection – are often suspected to be, and at the early stages are treated as, other childhood illnesses.
   

6. •    Even with insurance coverage, a family will have out-of pocket expenses of about $40,000 per year, not including travel.
   

What Causes Childhood Cancer?

1. •    Every family is potentially at risk.
   

2. •    In almost all cases, childhood cancers arise from non-inherited mutations (or changes) in the genes of growing cells.
   

3. •    As these errors occur randomly and unpredictably, there is currently no effective way to predict or prevent them.
   

4. •    Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupational hazards and exposure to other cancer causing agents.
   

Childhood Cancer Research Funding

1. •    There are 15 children diagnosed with cancer for every one child diagnosed with pediatric AIDS. Yet, the U.S. invests approximately $595,000 for research per victim of pediatric AIDS and only $20,000 for each victim of childhood cancer.
   

2. •    The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) federal budget was $4.6 billion. Of that, breast cancer received 12%, prostate cancer received 7%, and all 12 major groups of pediatric cancers combined received less than 3%.
   

Surviving Brings Another Set of Problems

1. •    Two-thirds of children who do survive face life-long late-effects from the treatment of their disease. Of those, one quarter are classified as severe or life threatening.
   

2. •    Research on the emotional impact of childhood cancer finds that parents and siblings report even greater long term emotional impacts than the diagnosed child.
   

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, EVERYONE is affected.  All family members are now Cancer Survivors moving forward through glass.

Make a difference in a child’s life today by helping kidsSTRONG improve the quality of live and care for children and families affected by cancer.  

kidsSTRONG is a registered tax exempt, 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation based in California.  kidsSTRONG was established in 2008 by parents who had children touched by cancer and concerned healthcare professionals.  kidsSTRONG is the leading national organization focused solely on accelerating comprehensive cancer care communications and research for kids touched by cancer so all children are inspired, supported,  and empowered to deal with care, treatment and survivorship on their terms.

We are the proud San Francisco Bay Area affiliate of Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation, a national organization based in Maryland.

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