The Cause

About The Seany Foundation

Sean Lewis Robins founded The Seany Foundation in 2005, as he battled his own cancer. Sean fought Ewing sarcoma (a rare bone cancer) for nearly 7 years, until his death in 2006. He was just 22. The Seany Foundation is Sean’s legacy, and continues to work to improve the lives of children, teens, and young adults battling cancer.

Mission Statement

The Seany Foundation’s mission is to fund research to help find cures for pediatric cancers, especially sarcomas, and to improve the quality of life for children, teens, and young adults currently battling cancer.

Impact Statement

The Seany Foundation began its outreach and fundraising program in 2007. Since then, over $700,000 has been raised for key research and life-enhancing programs. Thanks to its kind and generous donors, the Foundation is able to partially or completely fund the following:

    • The Seany Room. This special activity room for teens is located in the oncology wing of the new state-of-the-art patient care pavilion of Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego (RCHSD); doors officially opened to patients in January 2011.
    • Sean L. Robins Pediatric Oncology Fellowships at RCHSD and UCSD. Doctors and fellows are working to create better treatments and increased survival rates for children with Ewing sarcoma (a type of bone and soft tissue cancer). Their goals include identifying more targeted therapies using research and clinical trials, as well as improving treatment plans and survival rates for children with Ewing sarcoma that has spread (metastasized). Currently, metastatic Ewing sarcoma has a low rate of survival.
    • Clinical Trial Associate. The associate enrolls pediatric cancer patients in potentially lifesaving clinical trials. Without clinical trials, new treatments and possibly cures may never be found.
    • Pediatric Research Fund at RCHSD and UCSD. Along with the pediatric oncology fellowships listed above, The Seany Foundation is dedicated to funding other vital research that needs to be done to improve treatments and survival rates for children with cancer. As a result, it gives regularly to the Pediatric Research Fund at RCHSD and UCSD. The Fund allows researchers to continue their invaluable work.
    • Seany’s Sponsor-a-Kid Program. This program enables donors to sponsor tickets for children receiving cancer treatment at local hospitals and their families. Tickets allow the kids and their love ones to see a special prescreening of a blockbuster movie for free! Movies have included those of the Harry Potter and Twilight series.
    • Life-Enhancing Patient Programs. SOMBFAB (Some Of My Best Friends Are Bald) Glee Club and Art from the Heart Exhibit allow kids  being treated for cancer at RCHSD to use art as a way to express the difficult emotions cancer brings, as well as discover their strengths and boost self-esteem through creativity. SOMBFAB Glee Club is a performing arts program designed to give young cancer patients and their siblings a way to express themselves through musical theatre. Kids work with a professional instructor. Art from the Heart Exhibit is an onsite, patient-focused exhibition at RCHSD that focuses on art as a healing therapy.

Background Statement
Sean Lewis Robins founded The Seany Foundation in 2005 as he battled his own cancer. Sean fought Ewing sarcoma for nearly 7 years, until his death in 2006. He was just 22. The Seany Foundation is Sean’s legacy, and continues to fight to give a voice to young people suffering from cancer. The Foundation not only raises funds for vital research and programs, but also brings awareness to the sad truths of childhood cancer and the inequalities surrounding the funding of research. Some of these include:

  • One in 330 American children will be diagnosed with cancer before the age of 20 – that’s more than 12,000 children a year.
  • Every day in the U.S., 36 children and teens are diagnosed with cancer. Of these kids, 7 will die; and 17 of the 28 who survive will suffer devastating lifelong side effects.
  • Cancer among adolescents and young adults in the U.S. is increasing at a greater rate than any other age group, except those over 65. Still, childhood cancer research is vastly underfunded, which is why they are the main focus of The Seany Foundation.

For more information, please visit http://www.theseanyfoundation.org.

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