A Legacy of Hope: The founding of the Children’s Cancer Institute
Children’s Cancer Institute (CCI) shared a post by LinkedIn:
“In 1975, the parents of two children with leukaemia, 6yr old Helen Kasses and 2yr old Robbie Lough, met in the waiting room at the Prince of Wales Children’s Hospital in Sydney.
Like most other parents in their situation, Jack and Annette Kasses and John and Margaret Lough knew next to nothing about childhood cancer.
They soon learned the devastating statistics: hundreds of Australian children were being diagnosed every year, and only about half survived.
While it was clear that the doctors were doing all they could to cure the children in their care, it seemed that there was very little research into childhood cancer being done, anywhere in the country.
On 18 May 1976, a meeting was held at the Kasses’ home to discuss how to go about setting up a foundation to fund the construction of a research centre.
The Children’s Leukaemia and Cancer Foundation was established, and planning began to raise the required funds.
John Lough approached his local Apex Club in Wollongong to ask for their support, and Apex enlisted the help of renowned advertising guru John Singleton, who designed marketing material for the campaign ‘Some kids make it, some kids don’t − Help a kid make it’.
In just one year, a staggering $1.3 million (the equivalent of about $8 million today) was raised. Plans for construction of the Foundation’s research unit could now begin in earnest.
In 1984, the lab doors that would eventually become Children’s Cancer Institute, opened for the very first time.
40 years later, childhood cancer research has taken huge leaps forward.
When John and Jack first met in that waiting room, survival rates for children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) were as low as 50%. Now, they are over 90%.
But there are still childhood cancers with no known effective treatment options, and tragically, far too many children still die of cancer each year in Australia.
Our vision remains the same as when our lab doors opened 40 years ago. To save the lives of all children with cancer and improve their long-term health, through research.
Together, we will cure childhood cancer.
It’s not if, it’s when.”
Proceed to video attached to the post.
Source: CCI/LinkedIn
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