2012/2013 KCC Annual report - Kids Cancer Care

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esearch you are bringing hope to children with cancer Campbell was two when he started fussing while in his car seat. If Mom or Dad didn’t angle the car seat just right, his legs would fall asleep and he would start screaming. They thought it was a bit bizarre but they also thought, “He’s two, and two-year-olds can be impossible.” KIDS CANCER CARE FOUNDATION OF ALBERTA / ANNUAL REPORT 2012 / 2013 2 It wasn’t until they were visiting Grandma Marian one spring day that they began to realize the severity of the problem. Running across the living room, Campbell fell and wasn’t able to get up and walk. His mom’s nurse’s intuition was screaming, so she took Campbell to the Alberta Children’s Hospital, where a bone scan revealed a grapefruit-sized tumour on the adrenal gland of his right kidney. There were also tumours along his femurs, pelvis, ribs and neck. Campbell was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma and Ken and Jennifer Laidlaw learned that their two-year-old son had only a five to 10 per cent chance of making it. That was 10 years ago, and although Campbell survived, 70 per cent of children with highrisk neuroblastoma do not. This is after enduring treatment protocols similar to Campbell’s. Scientists still do not understand why only 30 per cent of children with highrisk neuroblastoma survive and why 15 per cent fail to respond to treatment at all. Dr. Paul Beaudry* is trying to change this. With the help of a $300,000 Kids Cancer Care research award, made possible by you, Dr. Beaudry is investigating three new approaches to diagnosing and treating neuroblastoma. 1. Cancer-killing viruses Researchers in Dr. Beaudry’s lab are investigating viruses known for attacking cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells alone and boosting the immune system to fight cancer. With your support, these researchers are systematically testing for viruses that show promise for treating neuroblastoma. 2. Metabolomics Using the science of metabolomics, a system for measuring the metabolites (molecules) of a person’s cells to determine their overall health status for different diseases, Dr. Beaudry is learning to predict which children will survive with less therapy and which high-risk children will not respond to therapy at all – hopefully, all with a simple blood test one day. 3. Resistant molecules With your support, these researchers are also beginning to identify rogue molecules that help neuroblastoma cells resist treatment. By understanding how these molecules work, Dr. Beaudry hopes to uncover the secrets of destroying them. Today, Campbell is a healthy teenage boy who loves golfing and freestyle skiing. As with most childhood cancer survivors, however; Campbell lives with long-term side effects of treatment. He has serious hearing deficits and, at 14, he’s already wearing 60 + new children’s cancer research studies are in the works because of you. high-powered hearing aids, which he hides with his long, freestyleskier hair. Campbell is also missing many adult teeth and requires extensive orthodontic work, jaw surgery and implants. Dr. Beaudry hopes to create a better future for kids like Campbell by improving their chances of surviving and by developing targeted therapies that cause fewer long-term side effects. His hope is that, one day, with your help, no child will ever face the odds Campbell did. COMMUNITY OUTREACH | RIDE FOR A LIFETIME | DAD & DAUGHTER GALA | CAMP SUNRISE | DONATIONS | VOLUNTEERS *Dr. Paul Beaudry is a pediatric cancer surgeon at the Alberta Children’s Hospital and a researcher at the Hughes Children’s Cancer Research Centre at the University of Calgary.
Although Campbell survived, 70% of kids with high-risk neuroblastoma do not. Dr. Paul Beaudry is trying to understand why. Beaudry photo: Unique Perspectives Photography Campbell photo: KCC archives you are here improving the odds for kids Thank you! With your support, Kids Cancer Care made another $300,000 gift to the experimental and applied therapeutics program at the University of Calgary and Alberta Children’s Hospital, where there are currently more than 60 new research studies in the works. | CAMP SUNMAKER | RESEARCH | HOSPITAL PROGRAMS | SCHOLARSHIPS | FUNDRAISING | CAMP KINDLE | PIZZA NIGHT | FAM KIDS CANCER CARE FOUNDATION OF ALBERTA / ANNUAL REPORT 2012 / 2013 3
Page 1 and 2: you are here ANNUAL REPORT 2012-201
Page 3: you are here changing children’s
Page 7 and 8: “I’ve done this before, I can d
Page 9 and 10: Sagal and her brothers and sisters
Page 11 and 12: Chaitanya is studying to become an
Page 13 and 14: Jim Skalk has been riding in his so
Page 15 and 16: Long-time volunteers, Alex (below)
Page 17 and 18: 6 ways you can help 1. shave Show m
Page 19 and 20: Kids Cancer Care is an exclusive cl
Page 21 and 22: My daughter can be herself. With th
Page 23 and 24: you are here improving the lives of
Page 25 and 26: dance without a care $5,000 - $9,99
Page 27 and 28: The United Way of Calgary and Area
Page 29 and 30: Terence and Margaret Moynihan The C
Page 31 and 32: gifts-in-kind Air Canada Foundation
Page 33 and 34: Jessie Weisner Jim Holland Joanne J
Page 35 and 36: This annual report is dedicated to

2012/2013 KCC Annual report - Kids Cancer Care

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