SEPTEMBER IS
CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
Oncology Clinic Open House
Thursday, September 9, 2004
3:00 p.m.

(Corpus Christi, TX) A child diagnosed with Cancer can be devastating news, but, for the families and patients who come to Driscoll Children's Hospital, the news is educational and informative. To date, 25 newly diagnosed patients have been diagnosed with cancer in 2004. In 2003, 45 patients were diagnosed. Currently, 143 patients are on treatment. In 2003, the census totaled 2,210 pediatric oncology visits to Driscoll Children's Hospital.

Those who work in the Oncology Clinic are opening their doors to educate the public about the growing number of patients who are seeking treatment. These patients and families learn Cancer is NOT a death sentence but an uphill battle for living strong.

The children are part of support groups and take part in a number of activities Driscoll Children's Hospital and the community provide for these young patients. These patients of Driscoll also take part in camps, Make a Wish and our Pilot for a day program.

At 3pm, during the open house, the children will receive a special gift from Hollywood Video & Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation. The children will be enjoying a Multi-Media Fun Center, which has DVD player and Nintendo GameCube system. The children are looking forward to put this machine to work and put their illness aside in order to be a kid.

About Driscoll Children’s Hospital
“Improve the health of adults and you give them back their health …
Improve the health of children and you give them their life.”

Since opening its doors in 1953, Driscoll Children’s Hospital has been offering hope and healing to the children of South Texas for half a century. The facility is a 200-bed pediatric tertiary care center with pediatric board-certified specialists representing 19 medical and nine surgical specialties. Each year, more than 6,000 children are admitted for inpatient care, 5,000 for day surgery, and 50,000 for outpatient primary and specialty care, as well as 40,000 for emergency care, as the first South Texas hospital with emergency services exclusively for children. Additionally, Driscoll maintains a state-of-the-art ground/air transport team, 20-bed pediatric intensive care unit, 40-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and specialized medical outreach.

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