Teen Cancer America Celebrates Fifth Anniversary
Co-founded by Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who,
TCA is Revolutionizing the National Standard of Care
for Teens and Young Adults with Cancer
LOS ANGELES (Aug. 10, 2017) – Teen Cancer America, the national non-profit launched in 2012 by rock’n’roll icons Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who, will celebrate its fifth anniversary in September. The success of TCA in its first five years, raising critical awareness and funding to build specialized facilities for adolescent teens and young adults with cancer, marks a new era of age-targeted care in the U.S.
The charity has raised more than $7 million to date, with another $2 million expected by the end of 2017.
“Being a part of the growth and impact of Teen Cancer America over the last five years has been the most meaningful and rewarding period of my life,” said Daltrey. “We know that one of the best therapies for a teen with cancer is another teen with cancer. They need their own place where they can be with each other and most importantly, be themselves. They don’t have that in most hospitals, and they deserve better.”
Modeled after Teenage Cancer Trust, the U.K. charity founded in 1990, TCA serves the specific clinical and psycho-social needs of young cancer patients who are often stuck either in pediatric wards or alongside older adults, making a difficult situation worse, potentially putting outcomes at greater risk. Over 24 years, Teenage Cancer Trust built specialized facilities in 28 hospitals across Great Britain, transforming the national standard of care. TCA is on track to do the same. To date, there are 13 hospitals in the U.S. with specialized AYA facilities, all developed by TCA.
“TCA has energized the entire AYA oncology profession throughout the United States,” said TCA founder and Chairman Rebecca Rothstein, managing director of Merrill Lynch, Beverly Hills. “The momentum we have generated is improving outcomes and survivorship for a patient population that had been neglected for too long.”
It began with the first unit at UCLA in 2013. Since then, TCA has developed facilities at world-class cancer centers such as Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCLA, Stanford, Memorial Sloan Kettering (New York), Dana-Farber (Harvard), Yale, University of Chicago, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Moffitt (Tampa), Vanderbilt and Baylor, and partnerships with more than 50 hospitals around the country are in various stages of planning, including Duke Cancer Institute and the University of North Carolina.
In total, more than 4000 teenagers and young adults across the country have benefitted from specialized cancer care in facilities funded by TCA. Nurses and clinicians have received supplementary training, research has been funded, corporate sponsors have joined the movement and public awareness initiatives have generated nationwide interest in the TCA mission. The U.S. Conference of Mayors proclaimed their support. Daltrey and Davies addressed a session of the United States Congress, and this December, TCA will host the first Global AYA Cancer Congress ever held in the U.S.
“It has been remarkable to see how engaged people become when they learn what TCA is all about,” said TCA Executive Director Simon Davies. “But the best part is the response of the courageous young people who finally get to experience cancer treatment in a new way – in a place designed just for them – making a difficult time a little better for them and for their families.”
Daltrey, Davies and Rothstein also served as producers on the upcoming documentary film, “Cancer Rebellion,” written and directed by filmmaker and cancer survivor Hernan Barangan, chronicling his quest to visit with young patients in all 50 states who are fighting the disease. The film will screen at festivals nationwide beginning this fall.
Daltrey and Townshend continue to be passionate ambassadors for TCA, leveraging their enduring popularity and the brand power of The Who to raise money and support through benefit concerts, memorabilia auctions and appearances. TCA has attracted other celebrity ambassadors as well, including Eddie Vedder, Joan Jett, The Band Perry, actress Victoria Summer, fashion designers Wolk Morais, PGA TOUR golfer Daniel Berger, IndyCar champion Scott Dixon, and Duke University basketball legend Nolan Smith, who recently hosted a Hoop-a-thon fundraiser featuring college and NBA stars.
TCA will achieve another significant milestone when the 2017 Global AYA Cancer Congress convenes in Atlanta, Dec. 5-7. For the first time in the U.S., medical and allied health professionals from around the world will gather to explore the latest advances in AYA cancer services, ranging from breakthrough research in genetics and immunotherapy to the role of communication and collaboration in improving outcomes and survivorship. Over 400 delegates from more than 20 countries are expected to attend the Congress, shining a spotlight on this emerging field of specialized care.
Each year in America, more than 70,000 teenagers and young adults are diagnosed with cancer. In the last five years, TCA has grown from a fledgling organization with a heroic vision into a national movement. In cities across the U.S., TCA initiatives are uniting physicians and healthcare specialists from pediatric and adult oncology to develop age-specific programs for AYA cancer patients, and helping to finance new facilities where teenagers undergoing treatment can be themselves, finding support among each other.
Together with The Who and a growing list of celebrity ambassadors, corporations like AEG, Universal, Merrill Lynch, First Citizens Bank and British Airways have joined forces with TCA, and the list of premier hospital partners continues to grow. With a board of directors led by Rothstein and founding members Howard Jaffe (L.A.-based attorney), Sally Webb (CEO, The Special Event Company) and Bill Curbishley (legendary manager of The Who, Led Zepplin), TCA is on track to fulfill its mission, elevate the national standard of care, and change the game forever for teens and young adults with cancer.
About Teen Cancer America
Teen Cancer America helps hospitals and healthcare professionals bridge the gap between pediatric and adult oncology care by supporting hospitals and outpatient facilities in the development of specialized units for this age group. TCA brings together physicians and allied healthcare professionals in both pediatric and adult oncology. Age targeted care for this population is necessary for medical and appropriate psychosocial development. Outcomes associated with some cancers that target this age group have not improved in over 30 years. Teens and young adults with cancer are long overdue for an upgrade and TCA can hopefully light the fire in America’s health systems. For more information about TCA, contact Michelle Aland michelle@teencanceramerica.org or visit www.teencanceramerica.org.
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Media Contact:
Charles Upchurch
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