Family support

Every year, over a hundred families living in Switzerland with a child suffering from cancer receive support from Zoé4life.

In Switzerland, thanks to advances in cancer research, 4 out of 5 children can be cured*.

What's more, one of the parents usually has to give up or reduce their work to stay with the child. The child spends around 1-4 days in hospital.

That's why Zoé4life helps families by providing financial support. This help is generally provided through the social workers in place in hospitals.

*Source: Childhood Cancer in Switzerland

Information and resources for parents and families of children with cancer

The following is a non-exhaustive list of information to help families cope with their child's cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Financial support

Zoé4life offers financial support to every family with a child newly diagnosed with cancer in French-speaking Switzerland, and covers the costs of fertility preservation. This support is provided through hospital social workers.

The conditions for our financial support are as follows:

Place of residence and treatment :

- The family lives in French-speaking Switzerland and the child is being treated in a Swiss hospital.
- The child's place of residence is in Switzerland, and he or she is cared for by one of the centers in French-speaking Switzerland, CHUV or HUG.

How is our aid allocated?

- The child must be undergoing cancer treatment.
- At the time of diagnosis, financial support of CHF 1,000.00 is granted per sick child.
- The package is only awarded twice for the same cancer diagnosis, but no more than once per year.
- As long as the child is still undergoing treatment, our assistance can be renewed after one year.
- When the child moves to another hospital for a proposed treatment, or in agreement with the medical team, our assistance is renewable.
- When there is a birth during the first year of treatment, a lump sum of CHF 1,000.00 is also offered to families.

Mutual aid exchange

Zoé4life offers a self-help scholarship program, All4life for children and young adults who have had cancer. The aim is to help them improve their quality of life and overcome the after-effects of treatment.

Pediatric oncology centers

There are 9 pediatric oncology centers in Switzerland. Only the two largest hospitals, the CHUV in Lausanne and the Kinderspital Zürich, are certified as pediatric oncology centers. "ITCC centers."

THE ITCC (Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer) brings together the most specialized centers for innovative pediatric oncology in Europe. Zoé4life supports these two Swiss centers and is a member of the ITCC Parents' Committee, mobilizing research players at Swiss and European level.

List of innovative treatment protocols available in Switzerlandfor children for whom "standard" treatment has not worked.

List dAvailable clinical trials in France. Swiss children can travel to France for innovative treatments on the advice of their GP and with the approval of their Swiss health insurance.

Highly specialized medicine in Switzerland

A child with cancer can't be treated in every hospital: only MHS-certified centers are recognized for this specialized treatment. This is because European Standards of Care recognize that a minimum of 30 new patients per year is required for a center to maintain its expertise in the field.

The Intercantonal Convention on Highly Specialized Medicine (CIMHS) provides the legal basis for the list of MHS hospitals, and defines the criteria that a service area must meet to be considered highly specialized.

The 9 establishments entrusted with the in-patient treatment of children and adolescents with cancer.

Inselspital Bern (Children's Hospital)
Vaud University Hospital CHUV (Children's Hospital)
Kinderspital Zürich
Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) (Children's Hospital)
Universitäts-Kinderspital beider Basel (UKBB)
Ostschweizer Kinderspital
Kantonsspital Aarau (pediatric ward)
Luzerner Kantonspital (pediatric ward)
Ospedale Regionale di Bellinzona (pediatric ward)

Pediatric cancers and their treatment

To inform and support parents of children with cancer, France's National Cancer Institute, in collaboration with a group of associations, has developed the following website pediatrics.e-cancer.fr An information portal dedicated to childhood, adolescent and young adult cancers.

Information brochures to download free of charge:

My child has cancer: understanding and getting help

My child's participation in cancer clinical research

Childhood cancer associations

Other associations and organizations

They are involved in pediatric cancer on a daily basis

Many associations are active in Switzerland to help children with cancer and their families. All have an important role to play and clearly defined goals. Each association is essential and complementary because, together, we work to make up for the gaps and shortcomings in the health and social systems, despite living in a privileged country like ours.

They offer accommodation for families close to hospitals

Lausanne:

In Geneva, Basel, Bern, Lucerne and St. Gallen:

Cantonal cancer leagues

The cantonal cancer leagues are private, non-profit associations affiliated with the Swiss Cancer Society. Swiss Cancer League. They devote their resources to the fight against cancer in each canton.