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Mobilizing Early Detection
Ronald McDonald Care Mobile saves lives of children with cancer in Poland
The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program is a dream come true for Poland. It enables us to diagnose and fight cancers in children far more effectively.
— Dr. Jerzy Kowalczyk, pediatric hematologist and oncologist
Patryk’s leukemia was caught early because of trained physicians, and he received an excellent prognosis.
In 2005, RMHC Poland established its first Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program. Given that the mortality rate for pediatric cancer in Poland is higher than other European countries, this Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program’s goal is to increase childhood cancer detection and improve treatment.
In Poland, specialized care is far from home for most pediatric patients. Primary care doctors in rural communities aren’t as familiar with the early signs of pediatric cancer. So childhood cancer usually isn’t diagnosed until later stages. Due to this challenge, the National Consultant for Pediatric Hematology and Oncology and RMHC Poland created the “Stop Cancer in Children” initiative to train physicians in the early detection of pediatric cancer and gave them the tools to raise awareness among parents and caregivers. The Chapter has trained more than 1,500 physicians, and the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile helps strengthen this strategy.
Awareness and Prevention
The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile travels the entire country providing free pediatric screening exams allowing physicians to detect childhood cancers and other diseases at their earliest and most treatable stages. During the program’s first two years, pediatric specialists performed nearly 9,000 ultrasounds and referred as many as 750 children treated for follow-up or specialty care.
The program is also helping raise awareness of the importance of routine pediatric examinations to prevent serious illness. Dr. Jerzy Kowalczyk, a pediatric hematologist and oncologist consultant for the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, says: “The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program is a dream come true for Poland. It enables us to diagnose and fight cancers in children far more effectively.”
To support programs such as the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, make an online donation.
