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Pediatric cancer organization uses new website to reach more families and increase public awareness CHICAGO (17 January 2002) - In an effort to lend support to families struggling to cope with one of the most common forms of pediatric cancer, Type A Learning Agency and the Neuroblastoma Children’s Cancer Society (NCCS) are pleased to announce the launch of www.neuroblastomacancer.org. This new website will server as a focus point for family support, as well as an important tool for public awareness about Neuroblastoma, an all-too-common and devastating pediatric cancer. Affecting 800-1,000 children each year in the Unites States, the diagnosis of neuroblastoma is usually not made until the cancer has reached Stage IV, when the survival rate is a dismal 20% or less. In part this is because the median age of diagnosis is at two years, when children are often too young to articulate their symptoms. Jim Sexton, a Chicago-area CPA, founded NCCS in 1993 after his son, Michael, succumbed to neuroblastoma at age three. NCCS is now a national organization that awards research grants, lobbies for additional public funding for pediatric cancer research, and provides support resources to families coping with neuroblastoma. “We’ve had a presence on the web for a few years now, but we’ve never really used it to its full potential,” explained Sexton. “When Type A volunteered to produce a new site for us, we leapt at the opportunity.” “We realize that an organization like NCCS has limited resources to maintain a website,” said Anna Belyaev, Type A’s CEO. “For neuroblastomacancer.org, we wanted to leverage our expertise in building educational, interactive experiences, while steering clear of expensive technologies that would require additional personnel or money.” As a family support resource, Neuroblastomacancer.org offers educational content, links to other informational sites and assistance organizations on the web, as well as a threaded discussion forum to allow parents and others to share their experiences with one another. An automated form on the site enables families and others to contact their representatives in congress to urge greater support for pediatric cancer research, which is significantly under funded. To Sexton, however, the “jewel in the crown”of the website is the Wall of Fame, a place where families can create pages in honor or in memory of their children who have been affected by neuroblastoma. “Many charitable organizations that raise money for diseases have celebrity spokespeople to assist with their cause,” explains Sexton. “Well, we can think of no greater celebrities than our little heroes, our children who have fought or who are fighting the battle against this terrible illness.” NCCS is actively soliciting individuals and corporations to sponsor children on the Wall of Fame, and will use these contributions to fund grants for neuroblastoma research. Of course, NCCS welcomes all kinds of donations, which can be made through the website or by other means, and also solicits volunteers to help coordinate its activities here in Chicago, and throughout the country. “We’re so pleased to help support this worthy cause,” said Belyaev. “As much as we enjoy our more typical corporate e-learning assignments, our staff has a particularly strong dedication to non-profit organizations like NCCS. These are some of the projects we enjoy working on the most.” Neuroblastomacancer.org officially launched on December 20, 2001, and can be accessed at http://www.neuroblastomacancer.org. CONTACT: Anna Belyaev Jim Sexton
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