Children's Cancer Research Appeal

Your world-renowned Research Centre on childhood cancers and other illnesses.

44 years ago, the National Children’s Research Centre at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin was founded. Through public donations it now provides cutting-edge laboratory facilities for investigation into the causes and treatments of many childhood diseases. One of our key areas of research – one we’ve won international recognition for – is research into childhood cancers.

Will you give €7 a month – that’s just 23 cent a day – to help find new gene-based treatments and cures for the most aggressive childhood cancers?

Research has made such a pivotal difference in helping find the wonderful treatments and cures we now take for granted. In fact, research and learning makes that difference every day. For every condition.

We urgently need critical donations now, today. We need help to keep our world-class research labs working at full pace and move us closer to the next vital breakthrough.

We believe research is the power plant that energises modern medicine. Why?

• We simply can’t help sick children if we don’t have the right treatments.
• We can’t successfully treat Ireland’s most ill, hurt and vulnerable kids if we don’t have the newest cures and specialised equipment – research is the solution to all of that.

However, amazingly, it’s one of the most difficult areas to raise money for.

Will you help fund the state-of-the art research we’re carrying out here in our world-renowned centre in Crumlin? No doubt you remember a time, not so long ago, when families had to face into the stark reality of cancer survival rates that were so much more bleak than today’s.

Thankfully, in Crumlin, because of research, children with leukemia now have an 80% chance of cure. For certain lymphomas it’s also about an 80% chance. More than 9 out of 10 children with kidney tumours survive.

The problem is – and this is where we need your urgent help – we haven’t had the same success rate with Neuroblastoma and some other cancers.

Here in our research centre – and in the international network of labs that we work with – scientists, academics and doctors are moving closer and closer to finding the genetic switch that will turn cancer off.

Imagine if you were part of that new dawn for cancer treatment? Isn’t that worth 23 cent a day?

Though in total, seven out of ten children survive their cancer, we must keep working tirelessly to find the treatments and cures for the other three. Why should their families lose them simply because research centres like ours can’t raise enough funding?

So please, will you become part of our expert research programme for just €7 a month?

On our site you can read about Tom Tripp, an amazing 3 year old boy and his inspiring battle against cancer. His survival depended on shared research from our network of research partners around the world.  

ˆHere is a short extract from Tom’s story….

Even in those moments of confusion and terror, children can be the best communicators. Tom found the words to describe his illness:

“I have something in my stomach that shouldn’t be there.”

Tom needed immediate and intensive chemotherapy. He needed major, invasive surgery. The cancer was also in his bones so he needed a stem cell bone marrow transplant. He needed radiotherapy.

But Tom also needed one other vital missing element – the scientific research, learning and best-practice treatment gathered from thousands of similar cancer patients right across Europe and in Crumlin’s own renowned National Children’s Research Centre.

His Mum says that maybe the lowest point was when Tom had his third birthday. He was in the bone marrow transplant isolation unit. There were no friends. He was worn out. All is childhood reserves of fearlessness and resilience were depleted. They got him a cake and tried to cheer him up but the only birthday present that would have meant anything to him then, was to just go home.

What your €7 a month will achieve

Your much-needed contribution to the National Children’s Research Centre will fund many areas of research – and not just on cancer. We are either currently working on new diagnoses, treatments, technologies and cures for childhood cancers, childhood obesity and diabetes, severe bowel disorders, chronic eczema, immune system failures, severe birth defects and cystic fibrosis

There are two things I feel really passionate about. First, I’m convinced that in the next number of years research will discover a wonderful, new, gene-based therapy to beat childhood cancers like Jill’s and Tom’s.

Second, for me the critical issue is time – without proper funding, that desperately-needed breakthrough will simply take much longer.

We can’t delay children’s chances of surviving cancer. We must deliver new treatments that are less toxic and painful. We can’t put this vital work on hold.

Your breakthrough donation of €7 a month will really make that wonderful day happen sooner for our most ill children. Thank you so much.

 

Yours sincerely,

Joe Quinsey

CEO, The Children’s Medical and Research Foundation

Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital

To donate to this appeal please click here.