Cancer care for 100 children in the Philippines

Dear friends,

We'd like to thank you for your support and give you an update on our progress. It has been a busy summer for Dr. Mae Dolendo and her team in Mindanao. Thanks to you, the satellite in Butuan is now up and running; children with cancer are being seen and Dr. Dolendo continues to mentor the dedicated team of doctors, nurses, and social workers.

Here's an update from Dr. Dolendo on progress in the last 3 months:

• We formally established the Butuan satellite facility at Butuan City Medical Center. We have the support of the local government through Butuan City Mayor Ferdinand Amante (pictured in green). Our satellite coordinator in Butuan is Dr. Caridad Plete.
• Dr. Dolendo met with the Butuan City Medical Center hospital engineers and discussed the proposed pediatric oncology unit. It's important to have designated beds for children with cancer and an area where they can play.
• Bryan Abayhon, RN, our Cagayan de Oro assistant coordinator, taught Dr. Caridad Plete how to join our online teleconferences. Medical staff from satellites around Mindanao speak and present cases bi-weekly to share best practices.
• The team in the satellite center in Cagayan De Oro have found funds to develop a ‘home from home’ for patients on the grounds of a local orphanage. Many children abandon treatment early because their families have no place to stay and this will help ensure children stay for their full treatment course. 
• Dr. Dolendo went to General Santos City for a satellite visit. She was able to assess children undergoing treatment there, and commented that she was very happy to see so many patients following up with their treatment. 

For more from Dr. Dolendo, please follow her posts on Kids of Hope, the local nonprofit in Davao which supports the pediatric cancer ward at the Southern Philippines Medical Center, page here.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The team at World Child Cancer are raising awareness and funds for kids with cancer around the world. We'd like to thank you for your past support and we hope you'll join us and Go Gold this September. You can help by sharing our posts on Facebook and Twitter. Also, read our blog post on other ways you can get involved here. Thank you!

THANK YOU once again for partnering with us and allowing us to continue to help children in the Philippines. Please contact me at leann.fickes@worldchildcancer.us if you have any questions or would like more information - we're always happy to hear from you. 

Best wishes,

World Child Cancer USA Team

Links:

• Kids of Hope Facebook Page, updates from Dr. Dolendo and team
• Go Gold Website, learn how you can help raise awareness Sept.