Message from the Executive Committee

At ACCESS, we believe every child with cancer deserves the best care—no matter who they are or where they live. That’s why community and collaboration are at the heart of everything we do.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us for our 2nd Annual Meeting. Your presence, ideas, and energy continue to drive our momentum forward. Bringing people together – patients, families, clinicians, researchers, community partners and more – builds solidarity, strengthens our mission, reminds us that each voice plays a vital role in shaping an equitable future, and that meaningful change happens when we work as one.

Now that we’ve laid the foundations of a multi-stakeholder network, we are seeing the seeds of our work take root, and our early results emerge. In Issue #2 of our ACCESS Newsletter, you will read about some of our transformative initiatives and their impacts. VICTORY, a clinical trial redefining treatment for children with brain tumours; the STEP 1 expansion, a national effort to eliminate barriers to clinical trial access; the COG KidsCare app, empowering families to manage care with confidence; and engagement with Indigenous communities to better understand the hopes and needs of children and youth with cancer through relationship and trust building. All this work is grounded in real-life needs in Canada and co-created with Persons With Lived Experience: those it’s meant to serve. ACCESS is about more than innovation – it’s also about inclusion and lasting impact.

Cancer remains the leading cause of disease-related death among children, beyond the newborn period, and demands urgent action. We are a united community driving real change. We’re deeply grateful to those who’ve already signed the petition in support of our vital work continuing. If you haven’t yet, please help us express the importance of advancing our mission. Sign the petition and support a better future for children with cancer in Canada.

Thank you for being part of this journey to do better for young people with cancer.