Arif Kamal: Cancer remains the leading cause of disease-related death among children ages 1 to 19

Arif Kamal shared on LinkedIn:

“September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

1 in 257 children and adolescents will be diagnosed with cancer before the age of 20, and while that number is too high, mortality has dramatically reduced since the 1970’s by almost half. But cancer remains the leading cause of disease-related death among children ages 1 to 19.

Today’s 85% survival rate among all childhood cancers highlight both the need to dive deeper into those that remain a treatment challenge, and to focus also on quality of life, and survivorship.

So what is American Cancer Society doing about it in the patient support realm?

Currently, 7 Hope Lodge communities provide no-cost housing to pediatric cancer patients and their families ages 12 and up. And we’re on a journey to accommodate adolescents at all 31 of our Lodges.

The recipients of a second round of our Pups Assisting with Support (PAWS) grants to support animal assisted therapy programs at children’s hospital will be announced soon. The experience after the first round of grants was eye-opening, and the measurable impact was large.

In addition to stellar leadership from Maggie Rogers and Laura Makaroff, we have also hired a new Director of Survivorship and Wellness (announcement coming soon ) to build our programming in the post-diagnosis spaces for persons with cancer and their caregivers.

And much more is happening in other parts of the organization. A life-changing diagnosis for patients and families, and an experience we feel passionate about improving.”

Read further.
Source: Arif Kamal/LinkedIn

Arif Kamal is the first-ever Chief Patient Officer for the American Cancer Society and drives efforts to advance cancer care. With experience at Duke University and the Duke Cancer Institute, he is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Population Health. He is also a Co-Founder of Prepped Health. Dr. Kamal’s expertise lies in oncology quality assessment, palliative care, and innovative technology solutions for patient engagement.