OHSU patients, staff team up to raise funds for children’s cancer research
07/26/11 Portland, Ore.
CureSearch for Children’s Cancer launches its first Portland event
Editors: The CureSearch Walk — Portland opening ceremony begins at 9 a.m. with remarks from Brian Druker, M.D., director of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, and Portland Mayor Sam Adams. The 2-mile walk takes place along the Springwater corridor in Sellwood Riverfront Park
CureSearch for Children’s Cancer is coming to Portland Saturday, Aug. 6, to celebrate and honor children whose lives have been affected by cancer. OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute are fielding a team to raise awareness and funding for the Children’s Oncology Group, a National Cancer Institute-funded children’s cancer research program.
Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among children in developed countries. Each day in the United States, 36 children – with an average age of 6 — are diagnosed with cancer. The CureSearch Walk aims to bring communities together in support of local children and families impacted by this horrible disease, and to help raise funds for the vital research conducted at OHSU Doernbecher and other Children’s Oncology Group member institutions throughout the United States and Canada.
“By working collaboratively, the efforts of the Children’s Oncology Group have increased the cure rate for childhood cancer by more than 30 percent in the past 30 years. Today nearly 80 percent of children with cancer are cured — our goal is 100 percent,” states Linda Stork, M.D., head of the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and a member of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.
Funding efforts by CureSearch for Children’s Cancer make it possible for children with cancer to receive world-class treatment and care close to home. The majority of children and adolescents with cancer in Oregon and Southwest Washington receive their care at OHSU Doernbecher, one of only 21 NCI-designated pediatric Phase 1 cancer centers in the nation testing the newest potential cancer therapies.
To join OHSU’s team, the Doernbecher Knights, or to make a donation, click here. The registration fee is $10. Registered walkers will receive a team T-shirt donated by OHSU. For more information, contact team captain Alisa Eicher at eichera@ohsu.edu or 503 418-5336.
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About CureSearch
CureSearch for Children’s Cancer is a national nonprofit foundation whose mission is to fund and support children’s cancer research and provide information and resources to all those affected by children’s cancer. CureSearch raises funds for promising research conducted at more than 175 hospitals across the nation. These hospitals participate in National Cancer Institute sponsored clinical trials conducted by the Children’s Oncology Group. CureSearch also manages the operations center of the Children’s Oncology Group, the largest cooperative research entity in the world. With more than 6,500 physicians, nurses and other researchers, COG member hospitals treat 90 percent of children in the United States with cancer.
About the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute
With the latest treatments, technologies, hundreds of research studies and approximately 400 clinical trials, the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center between Sacramento and Seattle — an honor earned only by the nation's top cancer centers. The honor is shared among the more than 650 doctors, nurses, scientists and staff who work together at the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute to reduce the impact of cancer. Visit www.ohsuhealth.com/cancer or www.facebook.com/OHSUKnight.
About OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital
* US News Best Children’s Hospitals 2011-12.