Presidential Document2021-19323
National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2021
Primary source
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Published
September 3, 2021
Signed
August 31, 2021
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 169 (Friday, September 3, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 169 (Friday, September 3, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 49887-49889]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-19323]
[[Page 49885]]
Vol. 86
Friday,
No. 169
September 3, 2021
Part III
The President
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Proclamation 10242--National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2021
Proclamation 10243--National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, 2021
Proclamation 10244--National Preparedness Month, 2021
Proclamation 10245--National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2021
Proclamation 10246--National Recovery Month, 2021
Proclamation 10247--National Sickle Cell Awareness Month, 2021
Proclamation 10248--National Wilderness Month, 2021
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 86 , No. 169 / Friday, September 3, 2021 /
Presidential Documents
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Title 3--
The President
[[Page 49887]]
Proclamation 10242 of August 31, 2021
National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2021
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
For millions of American families--including my own--
the fight against cancer is personal. When a person you
love is diagnosed with cancer, it stops your heart and
throws your world off of its axis. That fear and
heartache is only compounded when cancer strikes a
child.
Across America, thousands of courageous children and
adolescents diagnosed with cancer each year are facing
life-threatening struggles. They are cared for by
loving families, friends, volunteers, and health care
teams who band together to support our most vulnerable
patients as they face their cancer journey. During
National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we honor the
young lives taken too soon, as well as the growing
number of young cancer survivors, some of whom may face
serious health challenges throughout their lifetimes.
We recognize the remarkable progress made in treatment
and survivorship, and rededicate ourselves to the
development of more effective therapies so that all
children have the chance to live long and healthy
lives.
Despite the extraordinary advancements medical science
has made in recent years, cancer remains the second
leading cause of death in the United States--and the
leading cause of death by disease for American children
between infancy and age 15. Cancer is cruel and spares
no age. It inflicts an incalculable toll on young
patients and their loved ones. Though improvement has
been made in some areas, survival rates for all
childhood cancers remain too low. A growing number of
childhood cancer survivors are experiencing longer life
expectancies, but far too many continue to face
significant long-term physical, emotional, and
cognitive effects due to their cancer and treatment. As
a Nation, we must do more to better understand the
causes of pediatric cancer, improve treatment, and
enhance the lifelong well-being of survivors.
When I lost my son Beau to cancer after his courageous
fight, I buried a part of my soul deep in the Earth.
Too many families know that feeling too well--at any
age, it leaves a black hole in your heart. In 2016,
President Obama and I created the Cancer Moonshot
Initiative to end cancer as we know it. Now, as
President, I remain committed to that mission--and I
will continue to invest in the critical research and
care needed to defeat this devastating disease. That is
why I am asking the Congress to launch the Advanced
Research Projects Agency for Health--or ARPA-H--at the
National Institutes of Health, to develop breakthroughs
that prevent, detect, and treat cancer and other deadly
diseases.
Our Nation is already seeing the progress of investing
in pediatric cancer research and technology. We are
improving our understanding of pediatric cancers that
are particularly difficult to treat, and extending the
promise of immune-based treatments for children and
adolescents. We are seeing advancements in precision
medicine approaches to treating childhood cancers--
including progress on understanding how tumors respond
to existing therapies. The National Cancer Institute
(NCI) is leading the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative,
which brings together the Nation's childhood cancer
research, advocacy, and care communities to ensure that
we ``learn from
[[Page 49888]]
every child'' with cancer by consistently gathering
data in a way that protects patient privacy while
allowing for rapid sharing of insights among
researchers. This will enable us to accelerate progress
and deliver effective treatments and cures to more
children. Additionally, the Food and Drug
Administration's Pediatric Oncology program works with
stakeholders to accelerate and support the timely,
efficient development of safe and effective new drugs
and biological products to treat cancers in children.
Many parents and family members feel terrified and
overwhelmed following a child's cancer diagnosis. To
support families and pediatric caretakers, the NCI has
resources available, including online and print
materials and videos, to help families understand
treatment options and provide information to help them
navigate the cancer journey. Visit <a href="http://www.cancer.gov">www.cancer.gov</a> to
learn more or talk to trained information specialists
with the NCI Cancer Information Service in the United
States at 1-800-4-CANCER.
My Administration is also committed to protecting
childhood cancer patients and their families through
the Affordable Care Act, which provides critical
protections for individuals facing cancer, including
children. Because of the Affordable Care Act, most
insurance companies are now prohibited from limiting or
denying coverage to young cancer patients participating
in clinical research studies. And children who have
recovered from cancer can no longer be denied insurance
coverage based on the fact that they have a pre-
existing condition.
During National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we
pay tribute to the health care professionals,
researchers, private philanthropies, social support
organizations, and patient advocacy groups who work
together with families across the country to provide
hope and help to children diagnosed with cancer and to
develop better treatments. Together, we will carry on
their work--and build a future in which cancer no
longer threatens the lives of our Nation's children.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim September 2021
as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. I
encourage citizens, government agencies, private
businesses, nonprofit organizations, the media, and
other interested groups to increase awareness of what
Americans can do to support the fight against childhood
cancer.
[[Page 49889]]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
sixth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2021-19323
Filed 9-2-21; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P
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