To the childhood cancer community: As Chair of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), I am sending this letter to the childhood cancer...
Vincristine Shortage – Update and Action
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Advocacy
Your Voice Matters: $6.5 Million in Funding for Cancers in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults
By Dean Crowe They say it takes a village. Thank you all for being our village. You called the U.S. Congressional Offices of the DoD...
Advocacy
A Letter from Dean – December 2020
Thank you for opening this letter. And for caring about kids fighting cancer. What a year. We can all agree that 2020 is not a year we will soon forget. When the pandemic struck, I thought about the Rally Kids and their families. Their “normal” is living with an immunocompromised child, yet I have always been inspired and in awe of their ability to adjust and readjust. So personally, and at Rally, I took my cue from them. Our theme became adjust and readjust. And that is what we did. Like many...
Vincristine: Controlled Distribution
First, thank you to all the families who reached out and shared your children’s stories with us. Thank you, 11 Alive and reporter Kaitlyn Ross in Atlanta and NBC Nightly News, for reporting on the shortage. These news stories along with others are key to raising awareness. Below is a link to the webinar that the Alliance for Childhood Cancer, of which Rally belongs to, and CAC2 with Dr. Peter Adamson, Chair of the Children’s Oncology Group. Here are a few of the key points from the webinar:...
Vincristine Shortage Call to Action
From Dean Crowe Vincristine is the most commonly used childhood cancer chemotherapy drug, and it works by stopping the cancer cells from separating into two new cells. Its job is to stop the cancer from growing. And now, because of the shortage, kids are being denied vincristine. The Vincristine Shortage: What You Need to Know On Monday, October 14, 2019 the New York Times reported that there was a shortage of vincristine. https://nyti.ms/2MBtKCM The article stated that the shortage was due to...
Vincristine Shortage – Note To Pediatric Oncologists
Dear Pediatric Oncologists, As I’m sure you’re aware, the vincristine shortage is very real. But what I want you to know is that I am sorry. I know this is hard—hard on the families who can’t get vincristine for their kids, but also hard on you as these precious children’s doctors. My heart breaks for the families and for you. It cannot be easy to look a parent and a child in eye and tell them that they will not be able to get vincristine, the very medicine you told them they needed to save...
Vincristine Shortage – Update and Action
To the childhood cancer community: As Chair of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), I am sending this letter to the childhood cancer community to share information we have related to the current vincristine drug shortage, summarize steps we understand are being taken to help resolve the shortage, and to propose an approach that would benefit from an advocacy effort to help address the ongoing challenge of drug shortages that directly impact children with cancer. Vincristine ShortageAt the...
Your Voice Matters: $6.5 Million in Funding for Cancers in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults
By Dean Crowe They say it takes a village. Thank you all for being our village. You called the U.S. Congressional Offices of the DoD Subcommittee Members asking for specific research funding for cancers in children, adolescents and young adults. You signed the letter of support. You visited and wrote personal emails to those offices as cancer fighters, survivors, caretakers, researchers and advocates. You shared your stories. You applied for grants. You served as consumer reviewers. And your...