Lions Australia raises over $20 million per annum to assist in community and health projects and the funding for Lions foundations and programs such as Australian Lions Childhood Cancer Research Foundation (ALCCRF).

Lions Australia has been supporting childhood cancer research at least as far back as 1976. Since that time childhood cancer survival rates have improved to about 80 per cent, but unfortunately every year in Australia more than 900 children are still diagnosed with cancer and three Australian children die from cancer every week.

Among childhood illnesses, cancer remains the most common cause of death in Australia.

It is the vision of Lions Australia and its foundation to achieve 100 per cent survival for kids with cancer.

At the 57th National Convention in Melbourne in May 2009, Lions established a category "A" project to be known as the ALCCRF.

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Since 1996, Lions Australia has shown outstanding commitment contributing over $10 million to childhood cancer research.

The effort has resulted in safer and more effective blood stem cell transplantation for leukemia patients following chemotherapy which can lead to shorter hospitalization and more rapid recovery.

An emerging approach to disease treatment and prevention that takes into account individual variability in genetic data, and other unique personalized information. This is known as precision medicine.

Precision cancer medicine involves testing genetic material from patient's tumours to identify the mutations or other changes that drive their cancer. Scientists and clinicians then use this information to identify therapies that are targeted for the individual patient and their specific sub-type of cancer.

Before precision cancer medicine, patients with a specific type and stage of cancer received a "one size fits all" treatment. Certain treatments work better for some patients than for others and some patients require lower dosages of these toxic drugs, meaning less potentially debilitating side effects.

Because of the outbreak of COVID-19, Lions clubs, such as ours here in Leeton, have had to curtail their fundraising activities. However, anyone wishing to make a donation to ALCCRF can do so through your local Lions Club.

Remember Lion's vision is for a 100 per cent survival for kids with cancer.

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