Here is a helpful site sponsored by the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation that has a series of 20 animated short films, imaginary friends explain a wide range of complicated cancer topics in a way that kids can understand. Because the more they understand about their treatment, the less scary it will be.
This is an excellent guide produced by the National Cancer Institute. If you have been newly introduced to the childhood cancer community, the NCI Guide for Parents is excellent material to help guide you in your journey.
U.S. News & World Reports Best Hospitals
Top 20 Best Children’s Hospitals for Cancer
1. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue MLC 8006 Cincinnati, OH 45229-3039. Phone (513) 636-4200
2. Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, 450 Brookline Avenue Boston, MA 02215 Phone (877) 442-3324
3. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, 4650 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90027-6062. Phone (323) 660-2450
4. Children’s National Hospital (Washington, D.C.), 111 Michigan Avenue NW Washington, DC 20010-2916. Phone (202) 476-5000
5. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (Memphis, Tenn.), 262 Danny Thomas Place Memphis, TN 38105-3678 Phone (901) 595-3300
6. Texas Children’s Hospital (Houston), 6621 Fannin Street Houston, TX 77030-2399 Phone (832) 824-1000
7. Children’s Hospital Colorado (Aurora), 13123 East 16th Avenue Aurora, CO 80045-7106 Phone (720) 777-1234
8. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, 1001 Johnson Ferry Road Atlanta, GA 30329-2303 Phone (404) 785-5437
9 (Tie). Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 3401 Civic Center Boulevard Philadelphia, PA 19104-4319, Phone (878) 217-6281
9 (Tie). Johns Hopkins Children’s Center (Baltimore), 1800 Orleans Street Baltimore, MD 21287 Phone (410) 955-5000
9. (Tie). Nationwide Children’s Hospital (Columbus, Ohio), 700 Children’s Drive Columbus, OH 43205-2664 Phone (614) 722-2000
12. UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, San Francisco and Oakland (Calif.), 1975 4th Street San Francisco, CA 94143 Phone (415) 476-1000
13. Seattle Children’s Hospital, 4800 Sand Point Way NE Seattle, WA 98105-3901 Phone (206) 987-2000
14. MSK Kids at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York City), 1275 York Avenue New York, NY 10065-6007 Phone (409) 449-6167
15. Children’s Medical Center Dallas, 1935 Medical District Drive Dallas, TX 75235-7701 Phone (858) 762-9130
16. University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital (Ann Arbor), 1500 East Medical Center Drive Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Phone (877) 475-6688
17. Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, 225 East Chicago Avenue Chicago, IL 60611-2991 Phone (312) 227-4000
18. UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, 4401 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15224 Phone (412) 692-5325
19. Children’s Cancer Hospital-University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston), 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Unit 1491 Houston, TX 77030-4000 Phone (713) 792-5410
20. Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford (Palo Alto, Calif.), 725 Welch Road Palo Alto, CA 94304-1614 Phone (650) 497-8000
What does NCI “Comprehensive” designation mean to patients?
“Comprehensive” designation means patients get access to leading-edge treatments, including development of personalized therapies based on the unique molecular characteristics of individual patients’ tumors, and access to clinical trials in early phases of drug development. It also means that the physicians who see patients in clinic are collaborating with researchers to develop new approaches to detecting, preventing and beating cancer for all populations.
There are 51 cancer centers in the United States designated “comprehensive” by the National Cancer Institute. For a complete list go to: https://www.cancer.gov/research/nci-role/cancer-centers/find
Port Access
Many children will use a Port when treated for Childhood Cancer. Here is a useful video explaining what a port is and how it is used.
Four-Square Clobbers Cancer 