LIVESTRONG® Survivorship Center

Helping Patients Live Life to the Fullest

Central Texas children who have survived childhood cancers are moving beyond cancer and maximizing their lives through the LIVESTRONG Survivorship Center at Dell Children's. This unique clinic has been established as a separate clinic and a continuum of care for patients, focusing on life after cancer. The clinic begins seeing patients approximately two years after the end of cancer treatment.

Today most children who suffer from childhood cancers – eighty percent – will survive, but children pay the price for survival. Childhood cancers are treated aggressively, often with combinations of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. Because young bodies are still growing and not fully developed, they become vulnerable to "late effects" from drugs and radiation. Late effects can include stunted growth; mild to severe learning disabilities; fertility issues including delayed puberty, infertility or early menopause; problems with thyroid function; increased risk of other cancers; and heart disease.

"I don't think a child is ever truly cured of cancer," says Virginia Harrod, M.D., medical director of the LIVESTRONG Survivorship Center. "Even if you are cured of cancer itself, the residual lingering deficits are always there. We take patients who've won – they've gotten past cancer – and provide a resource for them to be fully informed and receive optimal care. They are not alone, and we are here to help."

In its first year, the Center provided quality comprehensive patient care to more than 130 childhood cancer survivors and has implemented successful support groups, including a psycho-educational group called the Survive Strong Series; a physical activity group called the Survivor Challenge; and a Young Adult support/social group that helps meet the needs of survivors who are 18 to 30 years old.

The Center, made possible by generous program and financial support from the Lance Armstrong Foundation and additional support from Dell Children's Medical Center, provides clinical care, patient education, research opportunities and social support services to young cancer survivors. The Center is run by a team of professionals who thoroughly screen, evaluate and educate survivors about their particular cancers and treatments and potential long term problems and teach them how to live healthier lives.

You can help young cancer survivors live their lives to the fullest with a gift to the LIVESTRONG Survivorship Center endowment. Goals of the endowment include long term sustainability, expanded community outreach and education, expanded services, and becoming a leader in research. For more information on giving opportunities for the LIVESTRONG Survivorship Center endowment, contact the Foundation at (512) 324-0170.

For more information about the program, contact the Livestrong Survivorship Center at (512) 628-1910