We are so grateful that you are here, raising funds in support of children with cancer. Because when it comes to kids and cancer, our work is not done.

 In the last few decades, specialists at the Alberta Children’s Hospital have come a long way in how they care for children with a wide range of illnesses, including cancer, and that is thanks, in large part, to support like yours that funds advancements in care and research. 

 Today, the hospital’s oncology team is able to save the lives of children who might not have survived a decade ago. And many children who used to require hospitalization can receive treatment in our clinic and then sleep at home.

 Hospital at Home: More children with cancer, blood and immune disorders can now even receive some of their chemo treatments in the comfort of their own homes, thanks to support like yours funding a first-in-Canada program called Hospital at Home. Specially trained nurses can bring everything to patient’s homes and administer their treatments in the comfort of their own surroundings -saving them nights in hospital and disruption to family schedules.

 Bone Marrow Transplantation: Our hospital is also the largest centre for bone marrow transplantation in western Canada thanks to support from this community. It wasn’t that long ago that transplantation was only a last resort for difficult, or hard-to-treat cancers. Today, the treatment is more precise, and not only helping children with cancer but other blood disorders as well, including curing kids of their sickle cell disease.

 Immunotherapy: Most recently, our hospital’s researchers are seeing promise with a different approach to treatment called immunotherapy, which harnesses a child’s own immune system by reengineering their T-cells to target and attack their own specific cancer, without harming normal cells. It means no hair loss or other complications, and they are now able to offer the first form of this treatment at the hospital, called CART-T therapy. The Riddell Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy, at the new Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Calgary, will transform our city into a hub of research and innovation for designer cell therapy that has the potential to benefit cancer patients of all ages, including children.