$49,112 Awarded to Blank Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center to Support Groundwork for Childhood Cancer Research

DES MOINES, Iowa (December 12, 2016) – Eighty percent of children who survive their cancer diagnosis will suffer from a severe or life-threatening condition as a result of their treatment. Blank Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorder Center will receive an infrastructure grant from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation to help children who survive their cancer diagnosis, live better.

The funding from St. Baldrick’s, totaling $49,112, will help add nutrition, physical therapy and psychology services to Blank Cancer and Blood Disorder Center childhood cancer survivorship clinic. The institution hopes that by learning more about the problems their patients face as survivors, they’ll be able to better tailor the support they need to flourish.

“We are dedicated to ensuring childhood cancer survivors have the best opportunity to live healthy lives long after their battle with cancer is won,” said Brandon McNew, M.D., of Blank Children’s Hospital. “This grant will enable us to more thoroughly examine our patients through multi-disciplinary after-care screenings and identify adverse effects of therapy early on in their development. Earlier interventions will allow our patients to avoid and even prevent unnecessary life-threatening late effects of therapy.”

Infrastructure grants are awarded based on the need of the institution and its patients, anticipated results of the grant, and local participation in St. Baldrick’s fundraising events and activities.

“We are thrilled to see another grant awarded to Blank Children’s Hospital, which will help deliver quality, convenient treatment to patients and their families in Iowa,” said Jim Polish, volunteer event organizer for the annual St. Baldrick’s Funny Bone event in Des Moines. “We are hopeful that seeing the concrete benefits to local facilities, such as Blank, will encourage the already generous donors of our head shaving events to be even more enthusiastic in supporting our upcoming 2017 events.”

This series of grants, combined with the more than $22 million awarded in July, brings the St. Baldrick’s Foundation’s funding total to $24.1 million awarded in 2016.

To learn how you can get involved visit www.StBaldricks.org, and connect with St. Baldrick’s on social media via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Vimeo.

About St. Baldrick’s Foundation
As the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation believes that kids are special and deserve to be treated that way. St. Baldrick’s funds are granted to some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts who are working to find cures and better treatments for all childhood cancers. Kids need treatments as unique as they are – and that starts with funding research just for them. Join us at StBaldricks.org to help support the best cancer treatments for kids.

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