St. Baldrick’s Foundation Announces $49,784 Grant to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center

Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Traci Shirk
626-792-8247 ext. 50
traci@stbaldricks.org

St. Baldrick’s Foundation Announces $49,784 Grant to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center

HARTFORD, Conn. (October 17, 2011) – It takes life-saving research to Conquer Kids’ Cancer! The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer-driven charity dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research, has awarded a $49,784 St. Baldrick’s Supportive Care Research Grant to Olga Toro-Salazar, M.D., a pediatric cardiologist at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

Worldwide, more than 160,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year and it remains the leading cause of death by disease among children in the United States. With only 3 percent of all federal cancer research funding dedicated to pediatric cancer research, St. Baldrick’s Foundation grant funds are critical to continue the battle against this devastating disease.

Dr. Toro-Salazar’s research focuses on the negative and long-lasting side effects of treatment for childhood cancer patients. One class of chemotherapy drugs, anthracyclines, have been used to effectively treat more than 135,000 childhood cancer survivors but cause significant risk for cardiovascular disease by the time these children reach their 30s. This research will use cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and chemical markers in the blood to identify heart damage caused by anthracyclines before symptoms begin.

“We are honored and grateful to have this support from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation,” said Dr. Toro-Salazar. “Our goal with this research is to ultimately reduce the long-term and life-threatening heart conditions for pediatric cancer survivors.”

This grant is part of more than $19.6 million in new grants by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, bringing the total to more than $21 million awarded for the fiscal year. All funding applications were peer-reviewed by leading pediatric cancer researchers who volunteer their time and expertise and make funding recommendations to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation’s board of directors. The Foundation’s next round of grants will be announced in October.

St. Baldrick’s signature head-shaving events are the fastest growing, volunteer-driven fundraising opportunity benefitting childhood cancer research. In 2011, the Foundation’s volunteers and supporters have led the way to raising a record-breaking $27.2 million by organizing more than 1,000 St. Baldrick’s events and shaving more than 44,000 heads to stand in solidarity with kids with cancer.

Everyone can do their part to support St. Baldrick’s! To locate or organize an event in your community, sign-up to shave, donate or volunteer, visit www.StBaldricks.org. You can also become a fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, join our letsCONQUER movement and visit the Foundation’s YouTube and Vimeo channels.

About the St. Baldrick’s Foundation
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. The Foundation funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U.S. government. St. Baldrick’s funds are granted to some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts in the world and to younger professionals who will be the experts of tomorrow. Funds awarded also enable hundreds of local institutions to participate in national pediatric cancer clinical trials, a child’s best hope for a cure. Since the Foundation’s first grants as an independent charity in 2005, St. Baldrick’s has funded more than $76 million in childhood cancer research. For more information about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation please call 1.888.899.BALD or visit www.StBaldricks.org.

About Connecticut Children’s Medical Center
Connecticut Children’s Medical Center is the region’s only academic medical center dedicated exclusively to the care of children and young adults.

Offering a full range of pediatric services from birth to age 18, Connecticut Children’s provides quality care at its hospitals in Hartford and Waterbury, its NICUs in Hartford and Farmington, its Specialty Care Centers in Farmington, Glastonbury, Hartford and Shelton and 12 other practice locations.