WASHINGTON, DC - 1/22/2016 (PRESS RELEASE JET) -- Bite Me Cancer, a Chantilly, Va.-based foundation whose mission is to support teenagers battling all cancers and to fund research for thyroid cancer, announced January 22, 2016, that it reached its goal of raising $57,500, to fund a third grant to research thyroid cancer.
Thyroid cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer among children between the ages of 15-19 in the U.S., according to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. Thyroid cancer is the fastest growing cancers in the US for both men and women, and is the 7th leading cancer in the country.
“We are truly grateful for the incredible community support we received in reaching this milestone,“ said Nikki Ferraro, the group’s founder.
While a junior at Chantilly High School, Ferraro started Bite Me Cancer in 2010, just 5 months after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
Bite Me Cancer’s first grant is funding a 2-year research project at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston. The group’s second grant supports a cancer research project at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
While Bite Me Cancer raises funds for research, the main focus of the group is to provide support, encouragement and understanding for teenagers who have been diagnosed with all cancers, primarily through its Bite Me Cancer Teen Support Bag project, which has supported teens in 28 states at nearly 70 hospitals including locally INOVA Fairfax, National Institutes of Health, The Lombardi Cancer Center in Georgetown and the VCU Children's Medical Center in Richmond.
Each support bag includes items such as a stress ball, a Bite Me Cancer baseball cap, a water bottle, an iTunes gift card, a USB drive, a game book, playing cards and a Bite Me Cancer car magnet.
The foundation’s goal for 2015 was to deliver 1,000 Teen Support Bags. It surpassed the goal by 20 percent, delivering 1,200 bags. Since the program began in 2012, Bite Me Cancer has distributed 2,200 Teen Support Bags.
To learn more about Bite Me Cancer to or find out how you can volunteer your time or money to support the group’s mission, please visit www.bitmecancer.org.
Media Contact
Company Name: Bite Me Cancer
Name: Leslie Ferry
Email Address: leslieferry@gmail.com
Website: www.bitemecancer.org