Initiative set to raise funds for teen, young adult cancer care

Teen Cancer America and Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt joined forces over the summer for a collaborative effort to raise $1 million to expand the hospital’s Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Program.

Grammy award-winning sibling trio The Band Perry will work closely with the foundation and the hospital to support them in various fundraising efforts over the coming year. They kicked off the fundraising with a $25,000 donation they won on an episode of “Celebrity Family Feud.”

“With this initiative and growing partnership with Teen Cancer America, we are poised to further enhance our exceptional clinical care and comprehensive array of programs to meet the unique medical and psychosocial needs of adolescents and young adults affected by cancer,” said Steven A. Webber, MBChB, MRCP, pediatrician-in-chief, James C. Overall Professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital.

“We are deeply appreciative of Teen Cancer America for its commitment to Vanderbilt so that together we can provide a better experience, improved outcomes and a brighter future for the adolescent and young adult patient population. We are also very grateful to The Band Perry for lending their support to this important initiative.”

Founded by The Who’s Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, Teen Cancer America is a nationally recognized organization dedicated to transforming the lives of teens and young adults with cancer by helping hospitals and health care professionals bridge the gap between pediatric and adult oncology care.

“It is the commitment of world-class artists like The Band Perry in support of this important Vanderbilt partnership that makes Teen Cancer America’s mission entirely possible,” says Simon Davies, executive director of Teen Cancer America. “We encourage and support extraordinary institutions like Vanderbilt, but it will be great music and The Band Perry’s enthusiasm that will allow this partnership to flourish and fulfill its mission to improve the care and lives of teens and young adults impacted by cancer. We are deeply grateful to all who have made this possible.”

As ambassadors, The Band Perry has made a long-term commitment to raising awareness of teen cancer issues across the country.

“Over the course of our career we have been to many hospitals around the country, and in these facilities teens are stuck somewhere between the pediatric and adult units. It’s important to us to come together with an organization like Teen Cancer America as they work to create and implement medical programs geared specifically towards teens,” said The Band Perry. “Even though we live in East Tennessee, Nashville is our second home, and there really is no better place to do this than at Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital.”

Teen Cancer America will work with Scott Borinstein, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Pediatric Oncology and director of the Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Program at Children’s Hospital, to help strengthen and grow the Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Program.

“We are thrilled to partner with Teen Cancer America and The Band Perry to advance our Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Program. Our teenagers and young adults with cancer require unique resources and services to support them through the entire spectrum of cancer: from diagnosis, to treatment and through survivorship,” said Borinstein.

“Our team at Vanderbilt is committed to these special patients by providing specialized, comprehensive and compassionate care, conducting state-of-the-art translational research, and always going the extra mile. Thanks to TCA and The Band Perry, we plan on embarking on new research and program initiatives that will make our program one of the best in the region.”

– by Christina Echegaray