Al Ain, UAE, 1 March, 2015: Tawam Hospital, in affiliation with Johns Hopkins Medicine and part of the SEHA healthcare system, brought together cancer survivors it helped treat to share their inspiring stories to patients and other members of the community. The gathering was part of the hospitals various activities to celebrate International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) which took place from February 15-28th.

With the celebration, Tawam Hospital joined the international community in raising awareness on childhood cancer and honoring the strength, courage and resiliency of children with cancer, the survivors and their families. With the theme Act now for kids with cancer, Tawam heeded the call of the ICCD: Joining Voices, Connecting Forces, Coordinating initiatives in responding to the needs of children/adolescents with cancer, their families and the survivors.

Throughout the period, Tawams programme engaged the community to educate them on pediatric cancer while the hospitals staff helped impart knowledge on methods to detect early cancer. The initiative culminated on February 28 with patient-centric activities that expressed support for cancer-stricken children and adolescents, the survivors and their families. Cancer survivors shared their inspirational stories to patients currently battling the disease to hopefully serve as motivation in their fight.

More than 250,000 children across the globe are suffering from cancer while an estimated 90,000 die from the disease according to the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP). However, Dr. Mustafa Baroudi, Consultant Physician, PEDS-Hematology/Oncology at Tawam Hospital says: Childhood cancer is largely curable when detected and treated early. As a leading oncology institution, we are doing our part to educate the public about childhood cancer, its treatment and support that can be given to the patient and their families. Most importantly at this event, we aimed to celebrate the survivors fight with cancer and how their wellbeing has improved.

In caring for children with cancer, Dr. Baroudi adds: At Tawam we make sure we have the best practitioners, laboratories and best medications to help care for our patients, and we invest in facilities that will provide excellent treatment options.

Tawams Pediatrics Oncology Unit provides comprehensive and complex family-centred care to children who suffer from cancer and hematological disorders. There is also a Paediatric Oncology Outpatient Clinic open to patients five days per week.

Child patients admitted to the unit are those who need: complex chemotherapy treatment for malignant cancers, and follow up of bone marrow transplant after returning to UAE, Langerhans cell histiocytosis and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis disorder, supportive management of complex chemotherapy treatments, palliative care, and, long term follow up of oncology patients.

Tawam Hospital is part of the SEHA Health System owned and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.