Israel Cancer Association’s ‘Knock on the Door’ campaign starts today
2,500 Israelis, including 40 children, are diagnosed with malignancies every month.
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICHEliezer Robinson(photo credit: CANCER.ORG)
High-school pupils will knock on doors around the country on Monday for the 57th annual fund-raising campaign of the nonprofit Israel Cancer Association.About 2,500 Israelis, including 40 children, are diagnosed with malignancies every month. About 300,000 patients have recovered from or are living with cancer.The ICA receives no government funding and depends on donations from here and abroad to function. Thanks to these contributions, the association has funded some 400 scientific studies in the last five years, aimed at finding a cure for cancer. It also helps the hospitals buy medical equipment and set up and upgrade oncology departments throughout the country.The ICA , which has 3,500 volunteers at 70 branches, has also financed hundreds of manpower positions for nurses, psychologists, dietitians and social workers to help cancer patients in hospitals and the community, and has conducted over 2,000 informational and educational events in various educational frameworks to raise awareness of the ways to prevent cancer.“There has been great progress in the ability to heal patients, but more effort is needed to advance research, prevention methods, and to improve the treatment of cancer patients,” ICA chairman Prof. Eliezer Robinson said. “I call upon the public to extend a hand and their hearts to help us raise resources in the annual campaign.”The four most common types of malignancies in the country among adults are breast, colorectal, prostate and lung cancer. The most common pediatric cancer is leukemia, which accounts for about 30% of all cancers in children and adolescents, followed by brain cancers (20%) and lymphatic cancer (15%). The cure rate for child leukemia has risen to 85% compared to only 60% before the ICA invested in new protocols and facilities.As children coping with cancer are often forced to miss school, the ICA has established a project to provide them with mentoring students who help them complete the material they missed. The association funds the mentors.Investing in the children’s future gives them and their parents strength and hope to continue coping, said ICA director-general Miri Ziv. Many youngsters who survived cancer have completed their finals and matriculation exams thanks to this mentoring. Students from all over the country who are interested in working in the project, and parents of children who wish to use the tutor, may contact the ICA ’s rehabilitation and social welfare department at 03-5719576.To donate, call 1-800-35-46-46.
