DID YOU KNOW?
01
Worldwide, 175,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year. In the U.S., more children die of childhood cancer than any other disease—more than AIDS, asthma, cystic fibrosis, congenital anomalies and diabetes combined.
02
Families experience significant expenses due to necessary travel, loss of income because of a reduction or termination of employment, out-of-pocket treatment expenses, and inability to draw on assistance to supplement or replace lost income.
03
Financial assistance for families is inadequate. Often parents report that they “make too much money” to qualify for public assistance. These decisions are often made based on the salary of the parent prior to the diagnosis of the child.
One study reported that 37% of families were forced to borrow money to cover the extra cost of treatment related to the child’s illness.
04
The economic burden of having a child with cancer can have long term effects on the financial security, quality of life, and future well-being of the entire family, siblings of the child with cancer are also affected.