NEW ORLEANS (press release) – September marks the start of National Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month and Children’s Hospital New Orleans is proud to announce a $100,000 Impact Award from Hyundai Hope On Wheels® that will support more ‘than 1,000 children from across Louisiana and the Gulf South who are cared for by the hospital’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders each year.
“Receiving a life changing diagnosis is just that, totally life changing,” says Children’s Hospital New Orleans President and CEO, Lou Fragoso. “Our Hematology Oncology team is second to none in creating an environment of hope, support and comfort for children receiving treatment for cancer or blood disorders and their families, most of whom spend months, even years in treatment with us here. The generous grant from Hyundai Hope On Wheels® helps us amplify their impact.”
The donation will be used to provide financial assistance to families to help cover the cost of food and housing and toward improving the hospital’s cancer research database. Additional funds will support Child Life programming for cancer patients, including games, art and other therapeutic activities.
“Every 36 minutes a child is diagnosed with pediatric cancer. It drastically changes their lives, with treatments including chemotherapy, radiation, and surgeries – during a time when they should be experiencing the simple joys of childhood,” says Time Wallwork from Hyundai Motor America. “That’s why Hyundai Hope On Wheels® joined this fight 25 years ago – to raise awareness, drive hope and to one day end childhood cancer.”
Following the donation presentation, patients were invited to leave painted handprints on a Hyundai vehicle that will travel the nation during Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month while the organization awards $25 million in grants to children’s hospitals across the country.
The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s Hospital provides treatment and transplantation for children with leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia and other childhood cancers and blood disorders. Children’s Hospital is the only accredited pediatric facility in the state, performing bone marrow transplants and actively conducting cancer research on therapies at the forefront of medicine. The center also has the largest, most experienced group of pediatric cancer specialists in the region, staffed by faculty from LSU Health New Orleans and Tulane Pediatrics.
