Ready, Set, Go...The Journey Foward after Childhood Cancer Treatment
February 18, 2009
CONTACT:
Shelley Carpenter
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
(203) 427-2049
The CT Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society invites young cancer survivors and
their families to a free program, “Ready, Set, Go… The Journey Forward After Childhood
Cancer Treatment.” Presented with support from the Connecticut Challenge, Ready, Set,
Go… will feature specialists from the HEROS Clinic at Yale University, Yale Pediatric
Neuropsychology, CancerCare of CT and Wind Over Wings who will work with children and
their parents to explore issues that young children and families may face as cancer survivors.
This special event will take place on Saturday, March 14th from 10am-2pm at the Eli Whitney
Children’s Museum in Hamden, CT. Due to space restrictions, attendance will be limited.
Ready, Set, Go…will start with the Soaring with Hope program, where guests will meet
Skywalker, a golden eagle, and his three rescued bird friends and become inspired by their
stories of recovery, rehabilitation, and Survivorship. A complimentary lunch will be served,
followed by Crafting Ways to Cope, for Children and Adolescents and Being Proactive:
Understanding the emotional and learning challenges a child can face as a cancer
survivor; for parents and adult family members. The event will end with an ice cream social.
The treatment of childhood cancer is one of oncology’s great success stories. Most children
and young adults under age 20 diagnosed with cancer prior to 1970 had little hope of being
cured. Since then, cure rates, as measured in five-year survival, have increased to 78 percent
(Ries et al., 2002). Consequently, the size of the population of survivors of childhood cancer
has grown dramatically—to 270,000 individuals of all ages as of 1997. This translates into
about 1 in 640 adults between the ages of 20 to 39 who have a history of cancer and it’s
estimated to increase to 1 in 250 young adults by the year 2010.
Not widely recognized are the unintended consequences of this success. Along with the
impressive gains in survival have come “late effects,” which may impair some survivors’
health and quality of life. These late effects include complications, disabilities, or adverse
outcomes that are the result of the disease process, the treatment, or both. Patterns of late
effects have emerged among subgroups of childhood cancer survivors that have contributed to
an appreciation of cancer as a chronic disease with implications for continuing care.
Ready, Set, Go… is a free event, but space is limited. To register or for more information,
please contact Shelley Carpenter, Patient Services Manager, at The Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society. Phone: (203) 427-2049 or email: shelley.carpenter@lls.org
About the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ® (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health agency
dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease
and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds
lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support
services.
Founded in 1949 and headquartered in White Plains, NY, LLS has chapters throughout the
United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org or contact the Information
Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.
www.lls.org.
About the Connecticut Challenge
The Connecticut Challenge is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing greater
services and resources to Connecticut’s 120,000 cancer survivors. Founded in 2005, the
organization funds special cancer survivorship clinics for adults and children at Yale Cancer
Center, a children’s survivorship clinic at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford
and a new survivorship program at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport.
Funding for Connecticut Challenge programs comes primarily from the CT Challenge bike
ride, a non-competitive ride based in Fairfield, CT that raises money for survivorship clinics,
research grants, symposiums and survivor education and awareness events. Riders of all ages
and skill levels can register for a 12, 25, 50, 75 or 100-mile ride and raise funds from personal
sponsors to support their efforts. The 2009 Connecticut Challenge will take place on
Saturday, July 25th, starting and finishing in Fairfield, CT. To register to ride, volunteer or
make a contribution, please visit www.ctchallenge.org.
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