On Friday 25 June, Scotts Head Public School will be hoisting the mainsail for The Kids’ Cancer Project Pirate Day 2021. Pirate Day is a swashbuckling day of dressing up like a pirate to raise money and awareness for children's brain cancer research.
Pirate Day has raised more than $360,000 since 2015. These funds are already helping researchers make waves in the lab to improve outcomes for kids with cancer.
Funds raised this year will be going toward the work of Dr Raelene Endersby, Co-Head, Brain Tumour Research at Telethon Kids Institute. “In a project funded by The Kids’ Cancer Project we are investigating an exciting new immunotherapy treatment,” says Dr Endersby. The study aims to teach the body’s immune system to recognise and destroy brain cancer cells. The team’s research has the potential to lead to new clinical trials in the near future and increase survival rates for children diagnosed with brain cancer.
Col Reynolds OAM, founder of The Kids’ Cancer Project is hopeful that the Pirate Day initiative will raise awareness as well as funds for children with brain cancer. “The startling fact that many Australian’s aren’t aware of is that brain cancer kills more children in Australia than any other disease,” he said. “Funds raised through Pirate Day can make a huge difference.”
Donations will be collected at Scotts Head Public School throughout the day on Friday 25 June 2021. You can also host a Pirate Day. Visit pirateday.com.au and register today or make a donation directly to The Kids’ Cancer Project online at thekidscancerproject.org.au.
The facts:
· May is Brain Cancer Action Month.
· Brain tumours are the most common form of solid tumours among children. Brain cancer kills more children in Australia than any other disease.
· As with other tumours in kids and adults, surgery is the primary treatment, usually followed by radiation treatment and/or chemotherapy.
· Because a child’s brain is still developing, these treatments can result in more substantial and permanent side effects than they would for an adult.
For more information about Pirate Day and The Kids’ Cancer Project, contact Jennie Smiedt on 0403084589 or jennie@tkcp.org.au.