Co-Sponsoring Recognizing September 2018 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in Philadelphia in honor of childhood cancer patients, caregivers, survivors, and those children who have succumbed to the disease.
Recognizing September 2018 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in Philadelphia in
honor of childhood cancer patients, caregivers, survivors, and those children who have
succumbed to the disease.
WHEREAS, September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and every little
gesture of support counts; from visiting children’s hospitals to donating teddy bears to
making socks for little patients’ feet, giving a little bit of one’s time is just as appreciated
as giving part of one’s paycheck for the cause of researching childhood cancers; and
WHEREAS, Across the world, a child is diagnosed with cancer every 2 minutes. Each
year, approximately 16,000 children between birth and age 19 are diagnosed with cancer
in the United States. More than 40,000 children are treated for cancer each year.
Approximately 1 in 285 children in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer
before their 20th birthday; and
WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists cancer as the leading
cause of death by disease in children and adolescents under age 14 in the United States.
There are over a dozen types of childhood cancers, and numerous subtypes make it
challenging to find cures for every form of childhood cancer. Most childhood cancer
survivors have long-term health issues due to the treatments they received; by the time
they are in their 30s and 40s, more than 95% have a chronic health problem, and 80%
have severe or life-threatening conditions; and
WHEREAS, Adults lose an average of 15 years of life to cancer, but children lose an
average of 71 years of life to cancer. The average age of diagnosis of childhood cancer
patients is 6 years old. Despite this comparatively massive loss of productive years, only
4% of United States federal funding is solely dedicated to childhood cancer research; and
WHEREAS, Despite the significant unmet medical need, pharmaceutical companies have
been reluctant to develop drugs appropriate for children with cancer because it requires
making an investment in products that are unlikely to cover the high costs associated with
their research, development, marketing, and distribution. Only 3 drugs have been
approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat any type of pediatric cancer since
the 1980s; and
WHEREAS, On June 5, 2018, the “Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access,
and Research Act of 2015 or the Childhood Cancer STAR Act” was signed into law. The
STAR Act focuses on maximizing childhood cancer survivors’ quality of life, moving
childhood cancer research forward, and helping children get access to life-saving
treatments; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia is fortunate to have two of the top children’s cancer hospitals
in the world, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and St. Christopher’s Hospital for
Children, who continuously advance the study and treatment of childhood cancer; and
WHEREAS, No More Kids with Cancer is a nonprofit research accelerator focused
exclusively on the discovery of safer, less toxic and more effective treatments for
children with cancer. Its creation was inspired by Naya Summy, a remarkable young
woman who raised nearly $500,000 for pediatric cancer research and cures while being
treated at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for brain cancer before passing away at
the age of 11; and
WHEREAS, On October 13, 2018, No More Kids with Cancer will host The Purple Ball
in The Navy Yard of Philadelphia. The event will celebrate survivors of childhood
cancer, honor trailblazers making change in childhood cancer, and raise money and
awareness for groundbreaking childhood cancer research. All of the proceeds will be
directed towards childhood cancer research; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby
recognizes September 2018 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in Philadelphia in
honor of childhood cancer patients, care givers, survivors, and those children who have
succumbed to the disease.
RESOLVED FURTHER, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to No
More Kids with Cancer, further evidencing the sincere admiration and gratitude of this
legislative body.