[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 169 (Friday, September 3, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 49887-49889]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-19323]



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Vol. 86

Friday,

No. 169

September 3, 2021

Part III





The President





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Proclamation 10242--National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2021



Proclamation 10243--National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, 2021



Proclamation 10244--National Preparedness Month, 2021



Proclamation 10245--National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, 2021



Proclamation 10246--National Recovery Month, 2021



Proclamation 10247--National Sickle Cell Awareness Month, 2021



Proclamation 10248--National Wilderness Month, 2021
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  Federal Register / Vol. 86 , No. 169 / Friday, September 3, 2021 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

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                Proclamation 10242 of August 31, 2021

                
National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, 2021

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                For millions of American families--including my own--
                the fight against cancer is personal. When a person you 
                love is diagnosed with cancer, it stops your heart and 
                throws your world off of its axis. That fear and 
                heartache is only compounded when cancer strikes a 
                child.

                Across America, thousands of courageous children and 
                adolescents diagnosed with cancer each year are facing 
                life-threatening struggles. They are cared for by 
                loving families, friends, volunteers, and health care 
                teams who band together to support our most vulnerable 
                patients as they face their cancer journey. During 
                National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we honor the 
                young lives taken too soon, as well as the growing 
                number of young cancer survivors, some of whom may face 
                serious health challenges throughout their lifetimes. 
                We recognize the remarkable progress made in treatment 
                and survivorship, and rededicate ourselves to the 
                development of more effective therapies so that all 
                children have the chance to live long and healthy 
                lives.

                Despite the extraordinary advancements medical science 
                has made in recent years, cancer remains the second 
                leading cause of death in the United States--and the 
                leading cause of death by disease for American children 
                between infancy and age 15. Cancer is cruel and spares 
                no age. It inflicts an incalculable toll on young 
                patients and their loved ones. Though improvement has 
                been made in some areas, survival rates for all 
                childhood cancers remain too low. A growing number of 
                childhood cancer survivors are experiencing longer life 
                expectancies, but far too many continue to face 
                significant long-term physical, emotional, and 
                cognitive effects due to their cancer and treatment. As 
                a Nation, we must do more to better understand the 
                causes of pediatric cancer, improve treatment, and 
                enhance the lifelong well-being of survivors.

                When I lost my son Beau to cancer after his courageous 
                fight, I buried a part of my soul deep in the Earth. 
                Too many families know that feeling too well--at any 
                age, it leaves a black hole in your heart. In 2016, 
                President Obama and I created the Cancer Moonshot 
                Initiative to end cancer as we know it. Now, as 
                President, I remain committed to that mission--and I 
                will continue to invest in the critical research and 
                care needed to defeat this devastating disease. That is 
                why I am asking the Congress to launch the Advanced 
                Research Projects Agency for Health--or ARPA-H--at the 
                National Institutes of Health, to develop breakthroughs 
                that prevent, detect, and treat cancer and other deadly 
                diseases.

                Our Nation is already seeing the progress of investing 
                in pediatric cancer research and technology. We are 
                improving our understanding of pediatric cancers that 
                are particularly difficult to treat, and extending the 
                promise of immune-based treatments for children and 
                adolescents. We are seeing advancements in precision 
                medicine approaches to treating childhood cancers--
                including progress on understanding how tumors respond 
                to existing therapies. The National Cancer Institute 
                (NCI) is leading the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative, 
                which brings together the Nation's childhood cancer 
                research, advocacy, and care communities to ensure that 
                we ``learn from

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                every child'' with cancer by consistently gathering 
                data in a way that protects patient privacy while 
                allowing for rapid sharing of insights among 
                researchers. This will enable us to accelerate progress 
                and deliver effective treatments and cures to more 
                children. Additionally, the Food and Drug 
                Administration's Pediatric Oncology program works with 
                stakeholders to accelerate and support the timely, 
                efficient development of safe and effective new drugs 
                and biological products to treat cancers in children.

                Many parents and family members feel terrified and 
                overwhelmed following a child's cancer diagnosis. To 
                support families and pediatric caretakers, the NCI has 
                resources available, including online and print 
                materials and videos, to help families understand 
                treatment options and provide information to help them 
                navigate the cancer journey. Visit www.cancer.gov to 
                learn more or talk to trained information specialists 
                with the NCI Cancer Information Service in the United 
                States at 1-800-4-CANCER.

                My Administration is also committed to protecting 
                childhood cancer patients and their families through 
                the Affordable Care Act, which provides critical 
                protections for individuals facing cancer, including 
                children. Because of the Affordable Care Act, most 
                insurance companies are now prohibited from limiting or 
                denying coverage to young cancer patients participating 
                in clinical research studies. And children who have 
                recovered from cancer can no longer be denied insurance 
                coverage based on the fact that they have a pre-
                existing condition.

                During National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we 
                pay tribute to the health care professionals, 
                researchers, private philanthropies, social support 
                organizations, and patient advocacy groups who work 
                together with families across the country to provide 
                hope and help to children diagnosed with cancer and to 
                develop better treatments. Together, we will carry on 
                their work--and build a future in which cancer no 
                longer threatens the lives of our Nation's children.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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 2021 
                as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. I 
                encourage citizens, government agencies, private 
                businesses, nonprofit organizations, the media, and 
                other interested groups to increase awareness of what 
                Americans can do to support the fight against childhood 
                cancer.

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

[FR Doc. 2021-19323
Filed 9-2-21; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P