Childhood Cancer Awareness myths debunked

Some straight up facts

• There are about 10,000 children living with cancer in Canada today.
• Each year, about 1500 cases are diagnosed
• Because of significant advances in therapy, 78% of these children will survive 5 years or more, an increase of almost 46% since the early 1960s.
• More than 70 percent of children diagnosed with cancer become long-term survivors and the majority of them are considered cured. However, long-term effects of surviving the treatments for childhood cancer can affect these children’s futures.
• In the early 1950s, less than 10 percent of childhood cancer patients could be cured.
• Leukemias, tumors of the brain and nervous system, the lymphatic system, kidneys, bones and muscles are the most common childhood cancers.
• In Canada, childhood cancer remains responsible for more deaths from one year through adolescence than any other disease; more deaths than asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis and AIDS combined.
• About one in four children who are diagnosed with cancer will die of the disease.
• With a mortality rate of close to 25%, Canada loses tens of thousands of years of potential life each year to childhood cancer. In terms of potential life saved, childhood cancer rank second only to breast cancer.
• Childhood cancers differ from adult cancers. Adults are most affected by breast, lung, prostate, bowel and bladder cancers. Children are most affected by acute leukemia, tumours of the brain and nervous system, the lymphatic system, kidneys, bones and muscles.

From http://childhoodcancer.ca

Shandra’s Story

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. This one hits home for me as I’ve shared in a previous blog. I have a son who is a cancer survivor. He was diagnosed at 10 months, had surgery to remove a kidney at 11 months and started chemotherapy 2 days after his first Christmas. We spent that Christmas within the confines of hospital walls…and tubes…and sleeplessness.

The truth is we got the best possible outcome we could have in our situation. He’s 12 ½ years old, considered cured and has more energy than the rest of the household put together! Not everyone gets to experience that kind of story.

One thing I love about our story, though, is that it proves the importance and necessity of research. Ten years before he was diagnosed with a Wilm’s Tumour, the survival rate was somewhere around 10% for that type of childhood cancer. When he was in treatment the survival rate had advanced to 96%!! As a parent, you can imagine the gratefulness for anyone and everyone involved in the advancement of treatment and care to provide the kind of hope – and outcome – we had.

What your car has to do with it all

Donate A Car Canada is such a powerful tool for our charities to utilize because it fills so many needs in a variety of ways. Below are organizations that participate in our program and who directly impact childhood cancer awareness. One of the benefits of donating your vehicle using our tried and tested system, is that you choose who benefits. Whether it’s the Canadian Cancer Society, offering support for research and advancement, or whether it’s a Foundation the provides support to families, a Wish Foundation or a hospital, the number of people and organizations involved is monumental – and very much needed.

As you research your donation options and consider giving the funds generated from the sale of your vehicle to a worthy cause, please know that no matter how large or small the gift, it truly does make a difference and definitely impacts lives.  Just ask me.

Of the organizations listed below, 5 of them have had direct impact on, and involvement with, our family. It’s not small thing.

Alberta Red Cross

BC Children’s Hospital Foundation

Kids Cancer Care Foundation

Kids With Cancer Society

Make A Wish Foundation

Stollery Children’s Hospital

Variety Manitoba

Easy as 1-2-3

Do you have a car, truck, van, or SUV to give to the cause of childhood cancer awareness? It’s so easy! Simply click the button below and fill in a donation form. It takes less than 10 minutes! Or, if you would like to speak with a real live human, give us a jingle at 1-877-250-4907 — we are here to help!

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Stollery Children’s Hospital luv

Our more well-known charities pack quite a punch in inspiring donations. It’s not unusual for the most broadly known to draw five or six digit figures over the course of a year. This past year, the Stollery Children’s Hospital was one of those charities!

That monetary impact is the direct result of vehicle donors. Car by car, and truck by truck, donation dollars add up.

But there’s more!

We work with auction houses in many of Canada’s major centers. Any time we receive a vehicle that meets our auction criteria, we have the vehicle picked-up and sold, as-is to the highest bidder. The net proceeds from the sale go to the donor’s charity of choice. This can result in a donation outcome of thousands of dollars for the cause!

Just this past month we received a call from one of our supporting auction houses. Their sub-contracted towing company made arrangements with our vehicle donor to get a car picked up and hauled in for re-sale.

Business as usual, right? So we thought…until we learned the rest of the story:

The subcontracted towing agent learned that the donor was giving the car on behalf of the Stollery Children’s Hospital. That struck a cord. The driver went an extra mile! Tows are free to our donors, of course. But our agents do need to get paid out from the value of the vehicle. ‘Nothing out of the donor’s pocket, but a modest amount is removed from the final outcome. This driver wanted to be sure that every penny went right to the SCHF. He provided his services for free!

Why this matters

Small gestures like that of this tow driver have important, incremental effect. Every donation dollar counts.

Some time ago, our then-contact at the SCHF sent us this gentle reminder of how these donation dollars impact real children:

“Madelyn was born with a serious heart problem. At only seven days old, doctors at the Stollery performed open-heart surgery on her tiny heart. Her heart was just the size of a walnut. Now two years old, Madelyn has survived two heart surgeries and is awaiting her third. She continues to grow and hit milestone after milestone at home.

Thank you for helping the Stollery care for kids like Madelyn – it’s incredibly inspiring to know that you continue to think of others during what has proven to be a difficult time for us all. Because of you, we can make sure the Stollery’s front-line caregivers have the support and specialized equipment they need to continue delivering urgent, critical care
to those who need it most. Together, we can give kids from backyards across Alberta and beyond the best chance to live a long and healthy life.”

Joanna Begg Pattison, BA
Senior Manager, Community Initiatives
Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation

Find out more

‘Curious about what else is happening at the SCHF? Check out the Stollery web site for so many details about their mission and their patients. Interested in donating your car to help in their ongoing efforts to help vulnerable kids? We can help with that!

Donate your unused or unwanted vehicle today. While not all of tow drivers are in a financial position to provide free service (these folks work very, very hard for their living — in every condition imaginable!), the tow will always be free to you, the donor.

Vehicle pick-up typically happens within 1 – 5 days of us receiving your donation form online or over the phone. You’ll have all kinds of say in how and when that happens. And, of course, you choose the charity that will receive your gift! Like the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, there are almost 1,000 hard-caring organizations ready to put your gift to good work!

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