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Recognizing September 2017 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in Philadelphia in Honor of Childhood Cancer Patients, Caregivers, Survivors, and Those Children Who Have Succumbed to the Disease; and Urging the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate to Pass House Resolution 820 and Senate Bill 292, Both Entitled, "Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research Act of 2017 or the Childhood Cancer STAR Act".
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WHEREAS, September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and every little gesture of support counts; from visiting children's hospitals to donating teddy bears to making socks for little patients' feet, giving a little bit of one's time is just as appreciated as giving part of one's paycheck for the cause of researching childhood cancers; and
WHEREAS, Across the world, a child is diagnosed with cancer every 2 minutes. Each year, approximately 16,000 children between birth and age 19 are diagnosed with cancer in the United States. More than 40,000 children are treated for cancer each year. Approximately 1 in 285 children in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer before their 20th birthday; and
WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists cancer as the leading cause of death by disease in children and adolescents under age 14 in the United States. There are over a dozen types of childhood cancers, and numerous subtypes make it challenging to find cures for every form of childhood cancer. Most childhood cancer survivors have long-term health issues due to the treatments they received; by the time they are in their 30s and 40s, more than 95% have a chronic health problem, and 80% have severe or life-threatening conditions; and
WHEREAS, Adults lose an average of 15 years of life to cancer, but children lose an average of 71 years of life to cancer. The average age of diagnosis of childhood cancer patients is 6 years old. Despite this comparatively massive loss of produ...
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