Wednesday, September 07, 2016
Gold ribbons; patient-designed T-shirts; Troy high school football game
In honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September, Beaumont Children’s is celebrating its patients and families by creating awareness about pediatric cancers through various activities.
Some of the awareness activities include:
- the placement of gold ribbons on more than 200 trees on the campus of Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak
- the sale of patient-designed “We will fight with all our might” T-shirts
- City of Royal Oak and Troy proclamations
- “Childhood Cancer Awareness Nights” at area businesses: Boston’s Restaurant, Lifetime Fitness, Born Yoga Glowga, Granite City
- “Gold-out” varsity football game Sept. 23 at Troy High School: Troy Colts vs. Detroit Country Day Yellowjackets, 7 p.m.
“Survival rates for pediatric cancers have improved dramatically the past 50 years,” said Kate Gowans, M.D., chief, pediatric hematology and oncology, Beaumont Children’s. “But, there is so much more to be done in the battle against childhood cancers.”
Facts about pediatric cancers:
- Cancer is the No. 1 cause of death from disease among children.
- One in 285 children will be diagnosed with cancer before the age of 20.
- One in every 1,000 18-year-olds in the United States is a survivor of childhood cancer.
- In the past 40 years, survival rates have increased to more than 80 percent for children, adolescents and young adults with cancer.
“Another important role our team provides is caring for pediatric patients after cancer, our survivors,” said Dr. Gowans.
The very treatments that saved the lives of children with cancer can cause long-term health issues. These are called “late effects.” The effects of these treatments can include cardiac and respiratory issues, vision and hearing problems, delayed growth and development and learning disabilities. Lifetime medical follow-up is important.
Beaumont Children’s has a Pediatric Long-Term Follow-up Clinic that follows patients into adolescence and adulthood. The goal: assist patients long after they complete their treatment. In 2008, the clinic opened and the medical team studied the possible delayed effects of being a pediatric cancer survivor and to help patients with medical issues related to educational access, insurance and employability. The multidisciplinary team includes a pediatric oncologist, pediatric oncology nurse navigator, pediatric social worker, child psychologist, rehabilitation specialist and dietitian.
Beaumont Children’s offers comprehensive diagnosis and treatment for infants, children, teens and young adults with nearly every type of childhood cancer or blood disorder.
Lisa Muma, RN, coordinator, Pediatric Long-Term Follow-up Clinic, said, “We’ve made great strides, yet the fight against childhood cancers is far from over. Through the placement of gold ribbons and other events, we’re working to raise much-needed awareness and to honor our brave patients and their families. I’d also like to extend a special thanks to area businesses hosting Childhood Cancer Awareness Nights, to the students, football players and staff at Troy High School and to the Beaumont Health team for providing support for this special observance.”
About Beaumont’s Cancer Program
Beaumont’s comprehensive cancer program combines the expertise of surgical, medical and radiation oncologists to offer cancer prevention counseling, diagnosis and treatment in hospital and community-based settings. The Beaumont Cancer Institute is one of only 34 community sites in the U.S. to be awarded a five-year National Cancer Institute Community Oncology Research Program grant. Beaumont is designated as a Blue Cross Center of Distinction for the Treatment of Rare and Complex Cancers.
About Beaumont Children’s
Part of Beaumont Health, Beaumont Children’s team of more than 80 pediatric subspecialists and more than 400 board-certified pediatricians provide comprehensive health care. Facilities include a dedicated specialty inpatient pediatric unit at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak and inpatient units at the Beaumont hospitals in Troy, Dearborn and Farmington Hills for children with less serious conditions. Mothers deliver more than 17,000 babies every year at Beaumont hospitals. Specialty pediatric services including emergency care, hematology-oncology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, cardiology, newborn and pediatric intensive care, pediatric surgery and craniofacial surgery are available at outpatient locations throughout Metro Detroit. Beaumont Children’s is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals affiliate in Southeast Michigan.