Pediatric cancer research needs better, less toxic treatments. See how the Great Loop Challenge and boating community are helping fund that mission.
Pediatric Cancer Research Needs More Than Awareness. It Needs Better Treatments
For most people, the words pediatric cancer are enough to make them want to help.
The harder question is understanding exactly what needs to change.
During a recent conversation on The Next Boat Journey, Chris from the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation explained that the organization was founded more than 30 years ago by two mothers whose children were battling cancer.
What they discovered was troubling. There were few treatments developed specifically for children.
That became the mission of the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation: fund research that can lead not only to better treatments, but treatments that are less toxic and more targeted for children.
Chris shared that approximately 95% of children who survive cancer experience some type of health issue related to their treatment before age 40.
That is why the mission goes beyond survival.
It is about helping children beat cancer while giving them the opportunity to live healthier lives afterward.
Today, money raised through efforts like the Great Loop Challenge supports the Sunshine Project, a collaborative research network involving 41 hospitals across the country.
Instead of researchers working independently, doctors and scientists share ideas and resources to help move promising treatments forward.
And now the boating community is helping fuel that work
The 2026 Great Loop Challenge powered by Honda Marine is putting pediatric cancer research in front of boaters, marine companies and waterfront communities across thousands of miles of American waterways.
Sometimes a boat journey can become something much bigger than the destination.
This one is helping create a path toward better treatments for children.
Thank you to our Founding Partners: Let’s Go Boating, Franklin Pillsbury IV, Dockmate, The Florida Mariner Magazine, SOS Screens, and Big Bumper Company
Listen to The Next Boat Journey Thursday at 5 PM on Dock Side Live Radio, with encore broadcasts Saturday and Sunday at 5 PM.
