With names like The Lil' Divas, Team Mia, and Superman Sammy, teams of pediatric cancer survivors from The Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) will take part in the Westchester CureSearch Walk on Sunday, September 18 to raise lifesaving funds for children's cancer research.

The Westchester walk will be held at Tibbetts Brook Park in Yonkers. Joining the CHAM patients are teams of clinicians representing CHAM's Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology as well as hundreds of local residents.

"Participating in the Westchester CureSearch Walk allows us to come together as a community with our patients and their families, to celebrate and honor them, while raising much-needed funds for children's cancer research," said Rosanna Ricafort, MD, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, CHAM. "I am tremendously proud of everyone's efforts - the doctors and nurses, the child life specialists and administrative assistants, and of course our CHAM kids and their families - all coming together to take part in this event. It is a spectacular display of why we do what we do: to improve outcomes through collaboration, compassion, and research."

CureSearch funds the lifesaving, collaborative research of the Children's Oncology Group (COG) whose 6,500 physician and nurse members at more than 210 member hospitals worldwide treat 90% of children with cancer in the U.S. Funding efforts by CureSearch for Children's Cancer allow children with cancer to receive world-class treatment and care close to home at local hospitals including CHAM, a member of the Children's Oncology Group. CHAM pediatric cancer specialists Dr. Richard Gorlick, Dr. Adam Levy, Dr. Peter Cole and Dr. Ricafort are actively involved in COG-sponsored research protocols, and CHAM is home to the COG's national bone sarcoma laboratory.

Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children. By working collaboratively, the COG has improved cure rates for children's cancer at a pace much faster than any one individual or single institution could accomplish alone -- from a 10% cure rate 40 years ago to 78% overall today.

To register for The Westchester CureSearch Walk and for more information, visit www.curesearchwalk.org/westchester.

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