Joe and his amazing team leverage these funds to deliver targeted assistance to patients and family members traveling to Boston for treatment. This includes short-term accommodations, gift cards for gas/transportation, food, and other out-of-pocket expenditures associated with care.
Many families struggle to cover all of the additional costs incurred as parents’ work hours and income are often drastically reduced to care for their sick child. Dana-Farber researchers have found that one in five children with cancer experience housing, food, or utility insecurity at the time of their diagnosis. These children face significantly inferior outcomes from diagnosis, through treatment, and into survivorship.
Our partnership with Dana-Farber helps people like 8-year-old Jessica (name changed for privacy) from northern Maine. She was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a blood disorder that can develop into leukemia. Shortly after diagnosis, Jessica was transferred to Dana-Farber, almost six hours away from the family’s home. For the next year, Jessica’s care involved frequent Jimmy Fund Clinic visits and several long hospital admissions, including an admission for a stem cell transplant.
Jessica and her two young siblings live with their parents, Marie and David. Marie, a nurse, had recently finished treatment for breast cancer and was about to return to work when Jessica was diagnosed. David, a sales representative for a heating company, did his best to work his normal hours, but the family’s finances were soon under great strain. Not only did the family suffer from Marie’s lost income, but they were facing thousands of dollars in new out-of-pocket expenses related to Jessica’s care in Boston. Our partnership contributed to the Pediatric Resource Program’s ability to provide the family with regular gift card stipends to help with gas and meals in Boston, along with several grants to assist the family keep up with their essential household expenses in Maine.
None of this would not be possible without your continued generosity and support. Advancing our partnership with the Pediatric Resource Program at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer & Blood Disorders Center will help ensure all children can receive world-class care. To make a contribution that will help additional children and families through this important partnership, please visit: https://www.hopestrengthens.org/donate