New York City, September 26, 2015.

tay-bandz was founded in 2003 by Taylor “Tay” Matthews, who, at age 11, was diagnosed with bone cancer. Taylor learned that pediatric cancer research was devastatingly underfunded, and took it upon herself to create and sell within the local community a variety of head-“bandz,” the money for which went directly to her cause. tay-bandz quickly became a 501 (C) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness, and funding research for pediatric cancer. Taylor’s hope was that, someday, children diagnosed with cancer would be able to have normal life spans, living healthfully long after their treatments were completed. Today, these children are often stricken by secondary cancers resulting from their chemotherapies and radiotherapies, or they are hampered by chronic health conditions that can be severe and life threatening. We are committed to funding “precision medicine” at Columbia Medical University for the next 5 years. Precision medicine is tailor-made for the individual based upon his or her particular genetics and is far less toxic than traditional cancer therapies. See more information about precision medicine below.

With our expanded focus, tay-bandz has changed its name to Conquering Kidz Cancer. With our new name and branding we’ve kept, but updated, Taylor’s signature “good luck” ladybug in our logo. To celebrate this new branding, an event was held at a private residence overlooking Central Park on September 26th. Over 50 of our supporters joined us as we toasted the research we’re helping to fund. Many experts in pediatric cancer treatment, including many of the doctors working on precision medicine attended the event. Amongst them were lead researcher Dr. Andrew Kung, as well as Dr. Darell Yamashiro, Dr. Julia Glade Bender and Dr. Michael Weiner. Internationally acclaimed opera singer James Valenti also attended and even performed. See photos from this event at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1005472022817453.1073741838.274641529233843.

Taylor always believed that change started with her, one person, one charity and lots of volunteers. We ask that you share our website www.conqueringkidzcancer.org with your friends, and consider donating to our cause. You have the power to enable Taylor’s vision to come to fruition. Please consider getting involved and spreading the word. Stay tuned for more news about our “Breakfast with Champions,” an event that we will be hosting in September 2016 to help in the battle against pediatric cancer.

About Conquering Kidz Cancer:

Conquering Kidz Cancer is an organization dedicated to raising awareness and funding research for pediatric cancer. Taylor always believed that individuals could make a difference through private efforts. Her dearest hope was that “someday no child would ever have to face cancer.” Conquering Kidz Cancer is a “kids helping kids” organization driven by community based efforts. The Federal government provides minimal funding for children’s cancer. Children are not politically powerful, don’t pay taxes and don’t march on the lawn of the White House. If a difference is to be made in the lives of these children, it will be made by those who dedicate themselves to speaking for them. Without public outcry, these children don’t stand a chance. Taylor knew this first hand and was determined to change it. You can view a brand new documentary about Conquering Kidz Cancer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eOin5qo7yw

About Precision Medicine:

Precision medicine, a topic often discussed by experts and, more recently, the public—thanks to President Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative—is an approach to tailor treatments for human diseases based on the characteristics of each individual, as opposed to a one-size-fits-all approach. An important aspect of tailoring treatment for an individual’s disease lies in our ability to precisely identify molecular abnormalities that drive that person’s disease. Recent advancements in human genome sequencing technology are making that a reality, and therefore, precision medicine is being more widely applied to treat cancers in the recent years. Major tools for precision medicine are therapeutics developed to target a specific molecular abnormality, known as targeted therapy, which are more precise and less toxic than traditional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Targeted therapies are proving to be a major leap in the cancer treatment arena, which had not witnessed substantial progress for decades.