Curing Kids Cancer commits $2M to Pauline Allen Gill Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s Health

DALLAS — In a monumental step towards eradicating pediatric cancer, Curing Kids Cancer has committed $2 million to the Pauline Allen Gill Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s Health. This is the largest clinical research endowment gift to the Gill Center in the system’s history.

Curing Kids Cancer is a non-profit organization dedicated to funding innovative pediatric cancer research and has been at the forefront of the fight against childhood cancer. Their commitment to finding safer and more effective treatments for young cancer patients has culminated in this historic endowment for the Gill Center, where 20% of Texas children with cancer receive their care and important pediatric cancer research is underway.

“This effort is such an important part of finding a cure for pediatric cancer.,” said Gráinne Owen, co-founder of Curing Kids Cancer. “Having lost my own son to cancer at age 9, my hope is that more communities will come together to support these efforts to provide better treatments when they’re needed. You never think this ugly disease can affect your children…. until it does. Community support is essential if our children are going to be able to go on to live long, healthy lives.”

The $2 million donation represents a significant leap forward in the pursuit of cutting-edge research and life-saving treatments for children battling cancer. The funds will be directed towards groundbreaking research initiatives, clinical trials and the development of innovative therapies tailored to the unique needs of pediatric oncology patients. The impact of this endowment is its ability to support different types of cancer research over time, allowing experts to apply resources to areas of greatest need and potential in pediatric cancer.

“This support for the Gill Center directly accelerates and advances patient care initiatives through clinical trials and translational research” said Dr. Patrick Leavey, Professor of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern, Associate Director for Clinical Research at the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center and Associate Pediatric Vice Chair for Research Operations. “This includes our team’s current trials that harness the body’s own infection-fighting cells to attack solid tumors and leukemia, our work to understand how germs in the gut influence outcomes for children receiving cancer treatments, and our effort to use new artificial intelligence tools to better predict how well cancer treatments will work. Each of these projects brings us closer to finding better treatment options for children with cancer.”

Generous gifts like these will advance the important clinical research being done now and into the future at Children’s Health and bring so much hope to kids and families.

About Children’s Health

Children’s Health is committed to making life better for children. As one of the largest and most prestigious pediatric health care providers in the country and the leading pediatric health care system in North Texas, Children’s Health cares for children through more than 750,000 patient visits annually. The Children’s Health system includes two hospital campuses: Children’s Medical Center Dallas and Children’s Medical Center Plano; along with the Children’s Health Care Network, specialty centers, rehabilitation facilities and physician services. Children’s Medical Center Dallas continues to be the only North Texas hospital to be ranked in 10 out of 10 pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. Through its academic affiliation with UT Southwestern Medical Center, Children’s Health is a leader in life-changing treatments, innovative technology and ground-breaking research. This affiliation led to establishing the Children’s Medical Center Research Institute in 2011, committed to pursuing research in regenerative medicine, cancer biology and metabolism. For more information, follow Children’s Health on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn or YouTube, or visit Childrens.com.

About Children’s Medical Center Foundation

As the fundraising arm for Children’s Health, one of the largest and most prestigious not-for-profit pediatric health systems in North Texas, the Children’s Medical Center Foundation provides philanthropic support through partnerships with individual donors, organizations and corporations. These funds support Children’s Health with the enhancement of care, discovery of cures and building a healthier community across all Children’s Health campuses to fulfill the mission to make life better for children. All contributions to Children’s Medical Center Foundation directly support patients and their families, ensuring the best experience, best care and ultimately a fighting chance to get back to being a kid again.