Help Kids Fight Cancer

Talk Radio Broadcasts 13th Annual Care-a-Thon July 25 & 26
Benefiting the Aflac Cancer Center of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

ATLANTA (July 2013) - Each year, the lives of children are impacted through talk radio. For 37 hours on July 25 and 26, 95.5 FM and AM 750 News/Talk WSB listeners will have the opportunity to provide hope for children with cancer and blood disorders.   Scott Slade, host of “Atlanta Morning News,” and fellow on-air personality Clark Howard will broadcast the thirteenth annual WSB Care-a-Thon live from the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Last year’s Care-a-Thon raised more than $1.5 million for research and programs to help children at the Aflac Cancer Center, one of the top ranked and largest childhood cancer and hematology programs in the US.

From 5 a.m. July 25 until 6 p.m. on July 26, listeners will hear incredible stories of the children and families who have been impacted by the Aflac Cancer Center. The Care-a-Thon will also feature special guests and give listeners the opportunity to make donations and participate in one-of-a-kind experiences. During the broadcast, listeners can tune in to 95.5 FM and AM 750 News/Talk WSB, www.wsbradio.com, call 888-750-2772 or visit www.choa.org/careathon to donate to the Aflac Cancer Center and read patient stories.  Information and donation opportunities will also be available at www.facebook.com/AflacCancerCenter.

Neal Boortz, former on-air personality, has remained committed to the News/Talk WSB Care-a-Thon for over ten years. While 2012 was his final year on-air, WSB and the Aflac Cancer are excited to welcome back Boortz for this special event!

The 13th annual Care-a-Thon will feature patient families from the following areas in Georgia: Acworth, Atlanta, Covington, Cumming, Dallas, Dunwoody, Fayetteville, Kennesaw, Marietta, Pendergrass, Rockmart, Silvercreek, Smyrna, Sugar Hill, Suwanee and Union City.

See Cumming resident Collier Cayce's story below.

During designated hours, Aflac and Aflac CEO Dan Amos will match donations given online and phoned into the Care-a-Thon. Additionally, food sponsors for the Care-a-Thon include Chick-fil-A, Loving Spoonfuls, McDonald's, Moe's Southwest Grill and Slopes BBQ.

Big Donation Sale Items: Huddy's Buddies - lunch and photo with Atlanta Braves Pitcher, Tim Hudson and fellow Braves, and an autographed baseball, Dinner for Two with #2 - Dinner and photo with Atlanta Falcons Quarterback, Matt Ryan, and tight end, Tony Gonzalez, and an autographed football, Jamie DuPree Meet and Greet - Lunch and meet and greet with Jamie DuPree, followed by a tour of WSB Studios, Worst Seats in the House for the Best Reason in the World - Attend a Braves Game with Clark Howard.  Pre-game meet and greet and ballpark dinner followed by the Atlanta Braves game

Special Guests: Dan and Kathelen Amos (Aflac and Aflac Foundation), Tim and Kim Hudson (Atlanta Braves), Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons). 

**Collier Cayce from Cumming: During the end of summer 2012, we noticed a bump on Collier’s right tibia bone (shin bone). Collier was 13 at the time and a very athletic teenager. He loved sports, but he especially liked football and basketball. We just assumed the bump on his leg was from one of his many sports activities. During September, Collier was enjoying his eighth-grade year, playing football for South Forsyth Middle School and playing basketball with his friends at the local recreation center. He came home from practice one evening and we noticed that his right calf had become very swollen. He wasn't complaining of any pain so his parents weren't concerned, but they decided to take him to his pediatrician anyway. The pediatrician took one look at his leg and immediately sent him to the Emergency Department at Children's at Scottish Rite hospital. They took an X-ray of his leg and saw an “anomaly” on his tibia. The next day we were contacted by a solid tumor oncologist at the Aflac Cancer Center, Bradley George, M.D. Dr. George told us they were concerned about the “thing” in his leg and wanted to take a MRI for closer review. The morning after the MRI, Dr. George called and said that there was a mass in his leg, which they would have to biopsy. On Friday, Sept. 21, 2012, we took Collier back to Scottish Rite for the biopsy results. The results rocked our world; there was a tumor in Collier’s leg and it was malignant. We were devastated. The biopsy showed that Collier had a tumor in his leg called Ewing’s Sarcoma, which was attached to his tibia bone. After the biopsy, we did a couple of other scans and learned that the cancer had spread to his lungs. Collier started chemotherapy Oct. 2, 2012 and has been continuing therapy at Scottish Rite. We are hoping he will be finished with chemotherapy by May 2013. In January and February 2013, he had 31 days of radiation on his leg. After his chemotherapy regimen is complete, he will have two weeks of radiation therapy on his lungs.