The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Launches Childhood Cancer Awareness Month Campaign

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30 Days, 1 Cause

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia launches 30 Days, 1 Cause, an advertising and social media campaign to bring the issue of funding for pediatric cancer research to the forefront as part of September's Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120904/DC66813)

The 30 Days, 1 Cause campaign encourages the community to register for the Four Seasons Parkway Run/Walk, and learn how to advocate for childhood cancer awareness. These action steps will help increase funding for pediatric cancer research and support development of new treatments. The goal is for the next generation of children diagnosed with cancer to have an increased chance of surviving their disease, with a decrease in the long-term side effects of treatment.

Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15. Although significant progress has been made in the last 50 years, 20 percent of children diagnosed with cancer still die from their disease. In addition, many childhood cancer survivors face life-long side effects impacting their heart, growth and fertility. Children diagnosed with cancer today are often treated with drugs developed more than 30 years ago, which may cure their cancer but may harm developing, healthy cells.

To develop cures for aggressive childhood cancers, pediatric cancer research needs additional funding. In these challenging economic times, funding allocations from the National Institute of Health (NIH), the research arm of the federal government, is shrinking. Scientists must rely on philanthropy from companies, organizations and individuals to bridge the gap so that today's discoveries can be translated quickly into a treatment for patients.

30 Days, 1 Cause patient Emma and her family know this too well. Treated at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for relapsed leukemia, 7-year-old Emma received a new treatment to target her leukemia cells, which kept returning after traditional chemotherapy.  For Emma and the many children like her, treatment advances have the ability to offer new hope, but only if funding is available to support the research.

The 30 Days, 1 Cause campaign encourages individuals to help Emma and hundreds of other children impacted by cancer by:

• Registering for the Four Seasons Philadelphia Parkway Run/Walk on Sunday, September 30 to support pediatric cancer research and survivorship programs at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
• Being an advocate with the help of a Childhood Cancer Advocacy Toolkit created by The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
• Donating to the Cancer Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• Joining the community of supporters by "Liking" the Cancer Center at CHOP on Facebook and Tweeting @PedCancerCare

Future funding will enable physician-scientists to find more targeted, less harmful treatments that cure childhood cancers. This September, we have 30 days to make it count. Join our efforts: www.30days1cause.org.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/cancercenteratchop
Twitter: www.twitter.com/PedCancerCare

About the Cancer Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is one of the largest pediatric cancer programs in the United States, and ranked #1 by U.S.News & World Report in its 2012-13 Best Children's Hospital survey. Its large basic and clinical research programs are particularly strong in pediatric neuro-oncology, neuroblastoma, leukemia and lymphoma, and sarcomas. Of all pediatric institutions, Children's Hospital enrolls the most patients in national clinical trials, working in close collaboration with national organizations such as the Children's Oncology Group. Physicians at Children's Hospital have had pioneering roles in developing international standards for diagnosing and treating neuroblastoma, and in developing programs for survivors of childhood cancer.

SOURCE The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia