About CURE

CURE Childhood Cancer Association is a nationally recognized innovator in peer to peer support for families with children diagnosed with cancer and blood disorders. Since 1976, CURE has been the forerunner in developing the concept of parent advocacy, long-term educational assistance and peer-to-peer support. CURE encourages and assists children, young adults and their families in Rochester and the surrounding region to realistically face diagnosis and treatment cope with their fears and believe in the possibility of life after cancer.

Worldwide, every 3 minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer. In the United States, 1 in 5 children diagnosed will not survive. Of those who survive, 2 out of 3 will suffer long term effects from treatment. CURE provides funding for research into finding a cure for pediatric cancers.

CURE’s Mission:

Improving the lives of children and their families coping with childhood cancer or chronic blood disorders by providing emotional, educational, social and financial assistance; promoting and funding research toward a cure.

COUNSELING, UNDERSTANDING, RESEARCH, EDUCATION

“Your child has cancer.” Families who hear those words live in a world transformed by disease. Daily life is filled with fear, confusion, stress, and emotion. No medical treatment can cure these afflictions. World-class medical care is available in the Rochester area, but patients and families need more than medical care to cope with chronic, life-threatening, and terminal childhood diseases. CURE is there to help and meet the very specific needs of families who are caring for a chronically ill child.

OUR HISTORY

Celebrating 40 Years! 

In 1976, a group of Rochester parents who lost their children to cancer formed an organization called CURE Childhood Cancer Association. It was their belief that it was important that more help be provided to families of children that are diagnosed with cancer. They determined that during this time families’ needs included; counseling, understanding, resource and education. They also wanted to raise much needed funding to help find a CURE for pediatric cancers. Out of these beliefs CURE Childhood Cancer Association was born.  Since then, CURE has become a model for other childhood cancer groups around the nation.

In the mid 1980s, CURE developed the Parent Advocate Program. Working closely with Golisano Children’s Hospital at Strong, guidelines were developed for a position to be filled by a parent of a child who had had cancer. Today, our Parent Advocate program is a nationally recognized model and is used by others to train parent advocates across the country.

CURE then expanded its outreach and services to include working with hospitalized children and schools to assure a smooth transition in and out of school while the child undergoes treatment. CURE’s educational assistance program now assists families in the developmental and educational needs of children during and after treatment.

As cancer treatments have become increasingly effective, more children survive into adulthood. A major part of CURE’s mission now involves working with cancer survivors, providing them with resources that will educate them so that they are able to maintain their health and independence, often in the face of recurring health issues.

CURE also provides funding for research conducted locally at Golisano Children’s Hospital and which is specifically targeted at developing a cure for pediatric cancers.

CURE has evolved over the years. But one thing that has not changed is our commitment to families and children from in and around the Rochester area who are facing the effects of childhood cancer. We will continue to provide services for these families that make it a little easier to cope with the words, “Your child has cancer.”