Texas Children's Cancer Center announces naming of clinic in honor of Lester and Sue Smith

HOUSTON, Sept. 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In honor of one local couple's unparalleled dedication and the extraordinary initiatives they have spearheaded to help find cures for pediatric cancers, Texas Children's Hospital announced the naming of its Cancer Center outpatient clinic as the Lester and Sue Smith Clinic at Texas Children's Cancer Center.  The clinic is the largest pediatric cancer clinic in the nation.

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"We are deeply appreciative of Lester's and Sue's remarkable efforts to help advance research and care for children with cancer," said Dr. David Poplack, director of Texas Children's Cancer Center. "Few have had a more transformational impact on research that seeks a cure for pediatric cancers, and with their help, Texas Children's Cancer Center will continue to lead the way in research and care of childhood cancer."

Lester Smith, a two-time cancer survivor and author of the book You Gotta Dance Like No One's Watching, and his wife, Sue, are well-known Texas philanthropists and national ballroom dancing champions.

Most recently, over the course of two fundraising events, the Smiths helped generate more than $41 million in donations to Texas Children's Cancer Center, with more than $21 million directly donated by The Lester and Sue Smith Foundation. The 2011 Evening with a Legend event honored actor Robert Duvall and showcased a live, on-stage interview by CBS veteran news anchor Bob Schieffer. In February 2012, the Evening with Disco Legends event featured performances by disco greats Gloria Gaynor, The Pointer Sisters and Nile Rodgers and drew over 1,100 supporters. This event was the largest single-evening fundraiser in Houston's history and by underwriting the 2012 event the Smiths enabled 100 percent of the proceeds to directly fund research at Texas Children's Cancer Center.

More children with cancer are treated at Texas Children's Cancer Center than any other center in the nation. Patients from 35 states and 26 countries come to Texas Children's to receive the most advanced treatments, many of which are unavailable elsewhere. For more information about Texas Children's Cancer Center please visit www.txch.org.

About Texas Children's Cancer Center

As an international leader in pediatric cancer research and treatment, Texas Children's Cancer Center is dedicated to providing novel therapies and family-centered care to children from infancy through young adulthood with cancer and blood disorders – from the most common to rare. The Texas Children's Cancer Center is a joint program of Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine and is the pediatric program of BCM's NCI-designated Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center. U.S.News & World Report ranked the Center #1 outside the northeast United States, as well as #1 in Texas. Texas Children's Cancer Center treats more childhood cancer patients than any other program in the U.S., with patients coming from 35 states and 26 countries around the world. Learn more at www.txch.org.

About The Lester and Sue Smith Foundation

The Lester and Sue Smith Foundation has donated in excess of $75 million to support cancer research and treatment at many organizations including Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Cancer Center, Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Harris County Hospital District. Lester Smith is an active board member and advocate of numerous worthy causes including Baylor College of Medicine, The Holocaust Museum Houston, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the National Prostate Cancer Foundation and Houston Museum of Natural Science. His first book, You Gotta Dance Like No One's Watching, was published in 2010 with all profits supporting breast cancer and genomic research. Sue Smith serves on the Advisory Board of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Houston.  The Lester and Sue Smith Foundation supports numerous non-profit organizations dedicated to medical science, education, arts and humanitarian causes. For more about Lester Smith, visit www.yougottadance.org.

Contact: Jenn Blackmer
832-824-2679
[email protected]

SOURCE Texas Children's Hospital