[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 173 (Wednesday, September 7, 2011)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 55549-55550]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-23060]



[[Page 55547]]

Vol. 76

Wednesday,

No. 173

September 7, 2011

Part V





The President





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Proclamation 8705--National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2011



Proclamation 8706--National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2011
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  Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 173 / Wednesday, September 7, 2011 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 55549]]

                Proclamation 8705 of September 1, 2011

                
National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2011

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Across America, thousands of courageous children fight 
                pediatric cancer each year, facing life-threatening 
                battles that would challenge men and women of any age. 
                They are cared for by loving families, friends, and 
                communities who band together to support children in 
                times of great need. From raising money for research 
                and hospital stays to offering compassionate assistance 
                to families who have lost loved ones, Americans are 
                working every day to combat childhood cancer.

                Today, research advances have made pediatric cancer 
                more treatable than ever before. The five-year survival 
                rate for young patients has risen to 80 percent in the 
                past half century, but serious challenges remain. 
                Children who survive cancer frequently struggle with 
                significant complications later in life and researchers 
                are working to develop treatments specifically for 
                pediatric cancer. We still know too little about the 
                causes in young people, and cancer remains the leading 
                cause of death by disease for children in America under 
                the age of 15.

                As we work to better understand and combat these 
                destructive diseases, my Administration is working to 
                lift some of the burden on families affected by them. 
                Because of the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies 
                can no longer deny insurance to children because of 
                pre-existing conditions, meaning that children who are 
                currently suffering from or have survived cancer must 
                be covered. Insurance companies are also banned from 
                rejecting insurance for children participating in 
                clinical studies, in which the vast majority of 
                children with cancer take part. And the Affordable Care 
                Act prohibits insurance companies from imposing 
                lifetime dollar limits on health benefits--freeing 
                cancer patients and their families from worry of long-
                term treatment affordability. Meanwhile, the National 
                Cancer Institute continues to conduct and fund research 
                on the causes of these diseases, linking research on 
                genetics and adult cancers to more effective treatments 
                for children.

                Too many children and their families have faced the 
                harmful effects of cancer. In memory of the young lives 
                taken from us far too soon, and in honor of the 
                families who stood beside them, we continue to support 
                researchers, doctors, and advocates working to improve 
                treatments, find cures, and reach a tomorrow where all 
                our children can lead full and healthy lives.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim September 2011 as 
                National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. I also 
                encourage all Americans to join me in reaffirming our 
                commitment to fighting childhood cancer.

[[Page 55550]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                first day of September, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2011-23060
Filed 9-6-11; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3195-W1-P