The National Children’s Cancer Society Announces Conference Series for Cancer Survivors
St. Louis, MO (PRWEB) February 10, 2015 -- The needs of cancer survivors will be the focus of a series of conferences when The National Children’s Cancer Society’s(NCCS) Beyond the Cure survivorship program joins hospitals nationwide to help patients, families and survivors understand the challenges that can occur after treatment ends.
From understanding possible long-term health issues to successfully re-entering school and work, the conferences, which are free to attendees, will empower parents of young children and older survivors to take charge of their futures.
“Survivorship starts at diagnosis,” said Pam Gabris, coordinator of the NCCS Beyond the Cure program, which supports and educates survivors throughout their lives.
“The goal of the conferences is to help survivors and parents of children currently in treatment learn what they can do to maximize their health. That includes information on late effects, the importance of keeping good treatment and health records, appropriate follow-up care, and tools for healthy lifestyles.”
The NCCS provides grants to the sponsoring hospitals to help offset the cost of the conference and supplies, materials about all aspects of survivorship for the attendees to take home and use as a reference. The conferences are also a platform for parents and survivors to connect with and support one another. “This is a way for us to support the hospitals that are treating children, and to reach groups of survivors and their families face-to-face.”
There are five conferences scheduled, with another five in planning stages. The first one took place in January 2015 and focused on supporting childhood cancer survivors who are now in college. It was sponsored by Advocate Children’s Hospital in Illinois in January.
The next scheduled conferences are as follows:
Aflac Beyond the Cure Conference
8 a.m. to noon, Saturday March 7
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Scottish Rite - Main Auditorium
1001 Johnson Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA 30342
Contact: Aflac Cancer Survivor Team: 404-785-1717
Online registration: http://www.choa.org/Childrens-Hospital-Services/Cancer-and-Blood-Disorders/Programs/Cancer-Survivorship/Resources/Beyond-the-Cure
Beyond the Cure Survivorship Conference
8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday April 18
Sponsored by The National Children’s Cancer Society
St. Louis Zoo, The River’s Edge
1 Government Drive, St. Louis MO 63110
Contact: Stephanie Diekemper: 314-446-5219; sdiekemper(at)theNCCS(dot)org
10th Annual Cancer Survivorship Conference
8 a.m. to noon, Saturday May 2
University of Minnesota, McNamara Alumni Center
200 Oak St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455
Contact: Karim Thomas Sadak, MD: 612-626-2778
Survivor’s Day
1 to 4 p.m., September 27
Sponsored by Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters’ Inc.
Children’s Museum of Portsmouth
221 High Street, Portsmouth VA 23704
Contact: Karen Watkins757-668-7350; karen(dot)watkins(at)chkd(dot)org
For more information about survivorship issues, visit the NCCS Beyond the Cure program online at http://www.beyondthecure.org. Beyond the Cure provides educational programs, an online late effects assessment tool, college scholarships to qualifying students and much more to help survivors lead their best life possible after treatment for childhood cancer.
The mission of The National Children's Cancer Society is to provide emotional, financial and educational support to children with cancer, their families and survivors. To learn more about the NCCS and its support services, visit thenccs.org. For information and resources for survivors, including a Late Affects Assessment Tool and college scholarship opportunities, visit beyondthecure.org. The National Children’s Cancer Society is a 501C(3) organization that has provided more than $61 million in direct financial assistance to more than 36,000 children with cancer. Visit the NCCS on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thenccs.
Lori Millner, National Children's Cancer Society, http://www.thenccs.org, +1 314-241-1600 Ext: 247, [email protected]
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