Children's Cancer Cause
Our mission is to champion policies and programs that improve the lives of children with cancer and survivors.
Founded in 1999, Children’s Cancer Cause is a leading national advocacy organization dedicated to creating a brighter future for children with cancer, survivors, and their families. We promote policies and programs that aim to accelerate the development of safer, more effective cancer therapies for children and better address the unique needs and lifelong health challenges experienced by childhood cancer survivors and their families.
Children’s Cancer Cause empowers survivors and families to become advocates for themselves and others by arming them with information, resources, and advocacy training. Our scholarship program includes an advocacy component that helps foster leadership skills in the next generation of childhood cancer survivors.
Meet Devan: 2024 Stewart Scholar
Our College Scholars receive a financial scholarship to help with academic expenses, and each scholar commits to undertaking a volunteer project of their choosing related to childhood cancer advocacy, with support and mentorship from the Children's Cancer Cause team.
The Stewart Scholarship is our top academic scholarship award, presented to a survivor who demonstrates exceptional potential to make a positive difference in the world. It is named in honor of John and Nancy Stewart, founders of our Stewart Initiative for Childhood Cancer Survivors.
Devan’s Story
Devan was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia when he was 20 months old.
He entered remission after a grueling treatment regimen that included chemo and an unexpected brain surgery. But he relapsed at age four and urgently needed a bone marrow transplant.
It never came.
“Unfortunately, mixed-race patients like me have only half the chance of white patients to find a matched donor,” he told us. “Friends organized bone marrow drives around the world, but never found a match. I got high-dose chemo and an experimental stem cell transplant instead. I missed a year of school. But I was lucky to survive.”
Devan is acutely aware that his survival was possible only because he was treated at a top research hospital with access to groundbreaking care.
*Over three decades, my type of cancer has gone from a death sentence to a treatable disease — in wealthy countries, that is,” he wrote in his application.
Devan was born in Colombia, where the survival rate for many cancers is much lower than in the U.S. And he is quick to point out that wealth inequities still impact survival here in America, with kids in high-poverty counties at higher risk of mortality from their cancer or its treatment than their peers in high-income areas.
“I owe my life to modern medicine, and crucially, access to medicine,” says Devan.
In fall of 2024, he will begin studies in Global Health at Harvard University.
“Cancer has made me grateful for life’s highs—and even lows; simply being alive is a blessing. I’m more attuned and empathetic to people’s hidden struggles and never take waking up each morning for granted. It’s also taught me about health inequities — and my privileges. I want to pay forward my good fortune by helping others get access to lifesaving care," says Devan.