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Despite Progress, Childhood Cancer Remains #1 Disease Killer Of Children

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Despite remarkable advances in treatment, childhood cancer remains the number one disease killer of children and early teens in the U.S. each year.  While Childhood Cancer Awareness month just wrapped up,  the need for ongoing attention to the advances in treatments and cures, doesn’t end.  Here’s part of a conversation with the head of Pediatric Oncology at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, Dr. James Fahner.

“Despite amazing advances in our treatment and gratifying increased cure rates for almost every type of childhood cancer, the reality it’s still the number one disease killer of children. And until we reach 100-percent cure rates we know that there is still work that we must do.”

That’s Dr. James Fahner, Division Chief Pediatric Oncology at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.  We recently talked to Dr. Fahner about childhood cancer and the strides being made.  He says here in Grand Rapids, they’ve been able to make the advancements due to what he refers to as “C.A.R.E.”, their core values which include four pillars. C standing for Clinical excellence to care for the children.  The A, he says is for advocacy—getting the word out.

“Despite those advances, we need research funding, we need community support, we need the volunteer effort that help on that childhood cancer journey and the R and E are research and education. We are actively involved in open clinical trials to make sure that children that receive care here at Helen DeVos are receiving the absolute best, front line, cutting edge, the most promising treatment for childhood cancer. And for Education, we are educating the next generation of specialists in this area of pediatric oncology.

Moss: and do I hear children in the background?

“Yes, I’m calling from right here in the Children’s hospital today. And that’s the most gratifying part of our work, as you know, we celebrate with the families. It is a long and arduous journey and it is an uncertain outcome; but fortunately in the great majority of cases, it is a successful one, but what those children and families endure, in the way of long hospital stays, frequent clinic visits, difficult chemo-therapy, hair loss; it’s a very difficult journey.”

If you’d like more information on how to help or donate, you can go to Helendevoschildrens.org. 

Jennifer is an award winning broadcast news journalist with more than two decades of professional television news experience including the nation's fifth largest news market. She's worked as both news reporter and news anchor for television and radio in markets from Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo all the way to San Francisco, California.