Helping Children with Cancer Go Back to School

HELPING CHILDREN WITH CANCER GO BACK TO SCHOOL
AT THE 6TH ANNUAL BACK TO SCHOOL CONFERENCE

Ray Negron of the New York Yankees to Keynote at Stony Brook University Conference

STONY BROOK, N.Y., October 11, 2007 - On Tuesday, November 6, Stony Brook University Medical Center (SBUMC) is offering a FREE, one-day conference for school teachers, nurses, counselors, social workers, psychologists, other educators, and parents to educate the educators about childhood cancer, the effects of treatment, preparation for school re-entry, emerging technology and innovative distance learning for students with cancer.

Breakfast and Lunch will be served at this event, which also features a special guest speaker from the New York Yankees, Ray Negron. Ray is the author of the inspirational children's book The Boy of Steel: A Baseball Dream come True. It is a story about a young cancer patient who enjoys a magical experience at Yankee Stadium. When Ray was a teenager, he was caught spraying graffiti on the side of Yankee Stadium, and was put to work by Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Negron became a Yankee batboy, played minor league ball, and then went to work for the Yankees and the Cleveland Indians. Now he is a special adviser to Steinbrenner, and brings his love of the game to a very special book about childhood cancer.

Also present at the event will be SBUMC's Robert Parker, MD, Director, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Professor and Vice Chair of Pediatrics for Academic Affairs and Associate Director, Stony Brook University Cancer Center. Dr. Parker will give an overview of common pediatric cancers and discuss the facts about cancer that every educator should know. In addition to presentations about the side effects of pediatric cancer treatment, and its impact on a child's learning, participants will also learn about cutting edge technologies available to connect students with cancer with their teachers and classmates, via video conferencing, from their home or hospital room.

For more information on this free conference and for a complete program, please call 631-444-7521, or download a registration form.