Full Text of SR0936 100th General Assembly
SR0936 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Childhood cancer is on the rise; it is a global | 3 | | problem; every two minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer; | 4 | | that equals 300,000 children around the world every year; | 5 | | childhood cancer and adult cancers are not the same, yet | 6 | | treatment options for children continue to rely on downsized | 7 | | adult cancer protocols, many times with devastating effects; | 8 | | there are 16 major types of childhood cancers and over 100 | 9 | | different subtypes; the lack of childhood cancer research and | 10 | | cures has a tremendous impact on children and places a | 11 | | significant cost on society; this will continue until there is | 12 | | a monumental increase in funding for research and cures; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, Pediatric cancer remains the leading cause of | 14 | | death by disease in children and young adolescents; the | 15 | | incidence of invasive cancer in children is up 29% in the past | 16 | | 20 years; even as the five-year survival rate continues to | 17 | | improve, the incidence of childhood cancer has been steadily | 18 | | increasing over the last few decades; in 80% of children with | 19 | | cancer, the cancer has already spread to other areas of the | 20 | | body by the time it is diagnosed; this is why children need | 21 | | treatment immediately; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, Despite the need for childhood cancer awareness, | 23 | | financial support has not reached the same national level as |
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| 1 | | other cancer awareness campaigns, many of which are for adults | 2 | | cancers; the Fiscal Year Consolidated Appropriations Act | 3 | | included over five billion dollars for the National Cancer | 4 | | Institute which is an increase of more than 174 million dollars | 5 | | over the fiscal year of 2016; of that over five billion | 6 | | dollars, only approximately 3.8% of that is allocated to | 7 | | childhood cancer research; nationally, childhood cancer is 20 | 8 | | times more prevalent than pediatric aids yet pediatric aids | 9 | | receives four times the funding that childhood cancer receives; | 10 | | and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Numerous childhood cancer foundations and | 12 | | facilities work on treatments, but since most organizations | 13 | | work independently, no singular umbrella of awareness exists to | 14 | | unite or elevate awareness or provide a call to action that | 15 | | childhood cancer desperately needs and children deserve; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, In the last 20 years, only three cancer | 17 | | medications have been specifically developed for children; in | 18 | | 25 years, the FDA has initially approved only two drugs for any | 19 | | childhood cancer; half of all chemotherapies used for childhood | 20 | | cancers are over 25 years old; the average age for a child with | 21 | | cancer is eight years old causing a child to lose 69 years of | 22 | | expected life; approximately 20% of all children with cancer | 23 | | will die from their disease, a secondary cancer, or | 24 | | complications from the treatment within five years of the |
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| 1 | | diagnosis; more than 400,000 children will undergo treatment | 2 | | for cancer each year; every day, 43 children are diagnosed with | 3 | | cancer; due to treatments during childhood, by the time the | 4 | | child reaches their 30s to 40s more than 95% of childhood | 5 | | cancer survivors will have chronic health problems, and 80% | 6 | | will have severe or life threatening conditions; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, More than 35 states have declared the month of | 8 | | September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month; in 2016, | 9 | | President Obama proclaimed September as National Childhood | 10 | | Cancer Month; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, As parents and advocates for children, our calling | 12 | | is to protect children, so we are compelled to greatly increase | 13 | | the awareness of childhood cancer and its devastation to | 14 | | children and their family; through this very awareness we can | 15 | | raise the greatly needed funding for research and new cures | 16 | | that are better gauged for children; these children need and | 17 | | deserve a voice to help them reach a greater survival rate and, | 18 | | hopefully someday, a complete cure; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, Childhood cancer has an international symbol, the | 20 | | Gold Ribbon, and a motto, "Go Gold"; these help increase not | 21 | | only awareness, but the support of the public who need to know | 22 | | how desperately these children need their help; support will | 23 | | also help the child's family not feel alone during this very |
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| 1 | | desperate time; therefore, be it
| 2 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | 3 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare September of | 4 | | 2017 as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in the State of | 5 | | Illinois in honor and memory of all the children that were | 6 | | taken too soon by cancer and in recognition of those children | 7 | | currently fighting the toughest battle of their lives.
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