Childhood Cancer Association, Inc.

The Childhood Cancer Association, Inc. (CCA) is a non-profit organization in Australia that was formed in 1982 by several parents of children with cancer. The association is committed to providing financial, practical, and emotional support to families of children diagnosed with cancer. It promotes and supports pediatric cancer research, conducts self-help and family support group meetings, and offers its Family Service, a program that matches specially trained support workers with affected families upon referral by their specialists or social workers. The association also offers a library of materials on pediatric cancers; provides vocational assistance for adolescents who are or were previously affected by cancer; offers free, short- or long-term accommodations for out-of-town families who have children who are undergoing treatment; and outfits treatment rooms and overnight rooms in several hospitals to enable parents to stay with their children. In addition, the Childhood Cancer Association offers ongoing reimbursement to help families employ home tutors for children who have fallen behind in their school work as a result of missing school for long periods or who have developed learning disabilities due to their illness or treatment. The association also reimburses affected families for expenses that they are unable to afford, such as traveling costs; provides funds for world searches to locate compatible bone marrow donors; and funds vocational advocacy research.