The Dare to Dream Project recognizes that children are not just little adults, so their cancer treatment shouldn’t just be a downsized version of what’s available for adult patients. “Our goal is no less than a wholesale shift in the standard of care for pediatric patients, thinking beyond toxic chemotherapies that leave survivors with lifelong health challenges to effective, safe treatments that don’t cause as much harm to the rest of the child’s body,” said Gwen Nichols, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at LLS and co-chair of PedAL. A significant part of this is PedAL, a first-of-its-kind global master clinical trial for pediatric acute leukemia that will test multiple therapies simultaneously at clinical sites worldwide. Yet, there is more reason for hope than ever: The Dare to Dream Project, a bold new phase of the LLS Children’s Initiative, is a groundbreaking nonprofit initiative that is helping power research, explore safer treatment options, provide education and patient services, and advocate for pediatric cancer patients. “Despite great progress, kids like Zach wait 6.5 years longer than adults to get access to new drugs. Despite this, pediatric-specific research and improvements in cancer treatments for kids have been slower than research and trial developments for adults. Many land in the ICU with life-threatening infections.” Zach GuillotĪccording to a 2021 report from LLS, 60% of childhood cancer survivors develop chronic health conditions as a result of treatment. As Julie explained, “These kids endure multiple rounds of ‘maximum a human can tolerate,’ highly toxic chemotherapy that wipes out their immune system. Forty percent of pediatric cancers are blood cancers, which attack the body’s natural defenses. ![]() ![]() Unfortunately, Julie’s story is not uncommon. “Sadly, he died in the ICU on a ventilator from treatment-related toxicity. “I lost my 9-year-old son, Zach, to AML (acute myeloid leukemia) following four years of brutal chemotherapy, full body radiation and three bone marrow transplants,” said Julie Guillot, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) ambassador and pediatric outreach chair. Many of these families then go on to discover that treatments for pediatric cancer can take a devastating toll. ![]() Having a child diagnosed with cancer is a scenario that no parent wants to imagine-yet it is the reality for thousands of families each year.
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