Families & Children in Treatment

Parent & Family Resources

Looking for financial assistance? Look no further than the Cancer Legal Resource Center's information sheet, last updated January 2011: National Financial Assistance

• American Childhood Cancer Organization (formerly Candlelighters):  The national office provides parent-to-parent support and information. Major state chapters run support groups and offer additional services.
  
• Art With Heart:  Art with Heart’s books and programs are based on mental health therapies that are effective in helping improve emotional wellness and reducing the potentially damaging impact of stress to children.
• Association of Cancer Online Resources: Many email lists relevant to childhood cancer are hosted here. It also includes publications and information on clinical trials and treatment options.
• B+ Foundation: The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation awards research grants and provides family assistance.
• Beyond the Cure:  This site provides information about the late effects of a childhood cancer diagnosis and treatment. They have a scholarship program, web conferences and continuing education programs for nurses.
• CancerCare:  A national nonprofit organization that provides free professional support services to anyone affected by cancer: people with cancer, caregivers, children, loved ones, and the bereaved. CancerCare programs - including counseling, education, financial assistance, and practical help - are provided by trained oncology social workers and are completely free of charge.
• Cancer Support Community: The Cancer Support Community provides meeting places where men, women, and children living with cancer and their families and friends join with others to build emotional and social support as a supplement to medical care. 
• Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation: CBTF raises funds for pediatric brain tumor research. 
• Children's Brain Tumor Foundation:  This nonprofit organization has a mission of improving the treatment, qualify of life, and long-term outlook for children with brain and spinal cord tumors through research, support, education, and advocacy to families and survivors. Their Family 2 Family Network connects parent and survivor mentors to families looking for peer support.
• Children's Oncology Group's Long-Term Follow-Up Guidelines:  These guidelines provide recommendations for screening and management of late effects that may potentially arise as a result of having had cancer and/or its treatment. This resource was initially intended for medical professionals and contains medical and scientific terms that may not be familiar to lay persons. The COG strongly recommends discussing this information with your doctors.
• The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society:  LLS is dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education, and patient services. The organization's site provides practical information for patients and families including a publication on educational transitions -- recommended for parents of school-age children in treatment. (Image: LLS exhibiting table at CCCA's RTA-Houston conference)
  
• National Children's Cancer Society: This group provides financial and emotional support throughout the U.S. for families of children in treatment and for childhood cancer survivors.
• National Patient Advocate Foundation:  NPAF provides a national managed care resource network that provides free case advocacy on medical insurance issues for cancer patients.
  
• Patient AirLift Services (PALS):  Patient AirLift Services arranges free air transportation based on need to individuals requiring medical care and for other humanitarian purposes.
• Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation: PBTF supports the search for the cause of and cure to brain tumors in children.
• Rare Cancer Alliance - Pediatric Cancer Resource Center: This website has been designed to offer information and immediate support to pediatric cancer patients and their loved ones.
• St. Baldrick's Foundation: SBF raises money for childhood cancer research with its head-shaving events across the country. SBF has awarded more than $100 million in research grants since 2005.
• SuperSibs!:  An organization that aims to reach out to the brothers and sisters of over 12,600 children in the U.S. and Canada who are diagnosed with cancer each year. Siblings eligible for the free support provided by the organization are those between the ages of 4 and 18 with a sibling who has been diagnosed with cancer.
• Tracy's Kids:  Tracy's Kids is an art therapy program designed to ensure that each child with cancer is emotionally equipped to fight the disease as actively as possible and prepare for the time that he or she is cancer-free.
  

Survivor Camps

• Camp Sunshine (Casco, Maine): Camp Sunshine is a year-round retreat that provides respite and support for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. 24-hour medical and psychosocial support is included. Free of charge to all families.
• Camp Sunshine (Atlanta, Georgia): Camp Sunshine provides year-round educational and support programs and camps for children with cancer and their families in Georgia.

Hospice Care and Bereavement Resources

• Children's Hospice International:  An organization serving as an educational resource on hospice care for all children in need.
• Compassionate Friends:  Local self-help groups of bereaved parents and siblings offer mutual support. Groups are free and open to all.
• Family 2 Family Network of the Children's Brain Tumor Foundation:  The F2F Network can provide newly-bereaved families with bereaved mentors to provide support and understanding.
• Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund:  This site is dedicated to the non-medical uninsured needs of families caring for terminally, critically, and chronically ill dependent children. They offer direct financial assistance and also an educational video on financial management.
• National Association of Hospitality Houses:  Places families stay when children are treated away from home. 

Research & Clinical Trials

• Children's Oncology Group (COG):  The COG conducts clinical and translational research trials at institutions across the country for infants, children, adolescents and young adults with cancer.
• CureSearch:  CureSearch for Children's Cancer funds and supports children's cancer research and provides information and resources.
• New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy (NANT):  NANT is sponsored by NCI and develops and tests new therapies for children with neuroblastoma.
• Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium (PBTC):  The PBTC is an NCI-sponsored network of ten institutions that evaluate new treatments for children with brain tumors.