ANZCHOG Advocates: Canberra visit November 2023
Late November, ANZCHOG’s Board gathered in Canberra to attend the Friends of Childhood Cancer Cure meeting at Parliament House. Thank you to Matt Dun and the RunDIPG Team for inviting us to this unique opportunity to communicate the difference sustained government commitment has made and the critical need for ongoing support of childhood cancer research and clinical trials.
Our very own Chair, Nick Gottardo, presented a compelling picture of the success that the Brain Cancer Mission funding has achieved to date and the impact that continued funding will have on the outcomes for children with brain cancer. The audience, which included the Minister for Health and Aged Care, The Hon. Mark Butler MP, Co-Chairs of the Parliamentary Friends of Childhood Cancer Cure, Dr Mike Freelander MP and Dr Anne Webster MP, and a number of other parliamentarians, heard about the pipeline of 10 high impact clinical trials focussed on a variety of paediatric brain tumours, including DIPG, needing funding.
We thank the brave parents who travelled to Canberra to share their own DIPG stories. Such difficult experiences to relive but so important for others to hear the impact of this wicked disease, the frustration with current treatment options and the critical need for more to be done.
It was an important day for ANZCHOG and the childhood cancer community. It was a positive step and a great opportunity to get our message across about the need for ongoing funding. When all is said and done, we all agree that children with cancer deserve a bright future and right now, we have the best minds, strong international connections, innovative research and promising treatments and strategies to make a real difference. This work deserves support.
ANZCHOG is a non-profit organisation committed to ensuring Australian and New Zealand children receive world-class cancer care. We are the peak professional body for paediatric oncologists and health professionals who care for children with cancer, spearheading national initiatives to enhance clinical care through communication, research, networking and education. We are also the national cooperative clinical trials group for childhood cancer, actively working with trial consortia around the globe to ensure Australian and New Zealand children have the opportunity to access the latest promising cancer treatments.
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