Cancer Facts


Cancer is a devastating and prevalent disease. 10 million Americans are currently living with cancer, and more than 1.39 million people will be diagnosed this year. One in three people will be diagnosed during their lifetime with cancer, and three out of every four families will care for a family member with this disease. Cancer's aggressiveness is widespread across all ages and races. Although the support of ongoing medical research concerning all types of cancer is an absolute must, the Maynard Childhood Cancer Foundation focuses its efforts on pediatric cancers.

Cancer is the number 1 disease killer of our children. It is estimated that each year, over 12,500 children will develop cancer. That amount equals an entire large classroom full of children diagnosed every single day. There have been great strides in the treatment of children with cancer, but more needs to be done! Even when young patients are lucky enough to win their battle against cancer, many are often left with lifelong and delibilitating side effects.

Jake's Reindeer Race and the Maynard Childhood Cancer Foundation focus the majority of their efforts on helping kids with rare cancers that have low survival rates. Recent funding has been given to support neuroblastoma and sarcoma studies.

Sarcomas comprise up to 20% of childhood cancers with 50 different subtypes. Despite this fact, most people have never heard of sarcoma. In fact, it is often called the “forgotten cancer” in terms of research funds and awareness campaigns.

Sarcomas are malignant tumors of the connective tissues (fat, muscle, nerve, etc.) and are divided into two main groups: bone tumors and soft tissue sarcomas. Sarcomas are dangerous. They are an extremely challenging group of cancers to treat and carry a much lower survival rate than most childhood cancers. Over the past 20 years, there has been little change in the treatment protocol for sarcomas and therefore, has been no improvement in the overall survival rate of pediatric sarcoma patients.

There is a vast amount of information available to anyone seeking to learn more about cancer. The websites listed below may be useful in learning about certain pediatric cancers. You are also encouraged to take notes at doctor visits, ask questions, and even seek second opinions if you have any uncertainties.

For helpful information, please visit the following sites:

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