William Stead, M.D.
Children who are facing or have faced a cancer diagnosis, and their families, are invited to a special Childhood Cancer Survivors Day celebration hosted by the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
The event will be from 2 to 4 p.m., Sept. 18, in “Dragon Park,” also known as Fannie Mae Dees Park.
The annual event is designed to offer families an opportunity to celebrate together, to learn from each other and to gather information about community resources to assist with the many challenges that face children and families after a diagnosis of cancer.
The event is free, and participants do not have to have been patients at Vanderbilt to attend.
Adults who experienced cancer as children are also welcome to attend. However, reservations are requested to make sure there are plenty of snacks and prizes on hand.
The celebration will feature a “Storybook Land” theme; children and adults are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite storybook character.
Advances in cancer research and treatment have greatly improved survival for children experiencing cancer. Thirty years ago, only 30 percent of children diagnosed with cancer lived into adulthood, according to recent report from the President’s Cancer Panel. Today, nearly 80 percent do so. In 1997, the last year for which statistics were available, an estimated 270,000 Americans of all ages had had a childhood cancer, and 95,000 of them were under age 20.
The Childhood Cancer Program at Vanderbilt combines the patient care and research strengths of the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
Fannie Mae Dees Park is located at the corner of Blakemore and 24th avenues, across from the Children’s Hospital and near Ronald McDonald House of Nashville.
To register or to get directions, call 936-5860 or visit www.vicc.org.