Three years ago, Dr. Monica Bhatia came to our office and told us she had a family in the clinic that had starting fundraising for Sickle Cell Disease, but needed a charity partner to help, and would we like to meet them. The answer- of course! Little did we know that meeting Jayden Salomon and his family
Our Nurses are MVPs!
There is not one patient family that we talk to that doesn’t tell us about the impact of the nurses in the Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation here at Columbia University Medical Center. Today, we want to share with you the above and beyond efforts of our nursing team, and invite
A Columbia Patient at the Top of Her Class
Natalia Famous is already living up to her last name. This 21 year old is living with Sickle Cell disease and just graduated Summa Cum Laude from Mercy College with a BS in Speech Pathology and as Valedictorian of her class. Her nurse practitioner, Maureen Licursi, said Natalia is a “testament of hope, strength and courage” and
My Eight Year Old Taught Me to Love Fundraising
Since 2010, Team Sienna has loudly and proudly raised over $100,000 for the Hope & Heroes Walk. People may see that number and assume we’ve gotten there through large donations, but it’s exactly the opposite. We’ve learned that lots of little things can go a long way. I’ve been actively fundraising for pediatric cancer since
Time For A Change
The last words I heard on my first day at Hope & Heroes were “We’ll make it up – it’ll be fun!” The date was April 28th, 2005, and my new colleague was Heather Maloney, then the Executive Director. She was completely right; not only has it been fun, it has also been some of
Owen’s Art Experience
The Alfano Family Arts In Medicine Program, which provides enriching art projects twice a week at the clinic, also has a wonderful partnership with The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Recently, this gave one of our patients the opportunity have an amazing art experience with his family. Here are pictures and notes from a very special
Mother And Son, Parent And Survivor
Note: Earlier this month we held our 3rd Annual Luncheon. As part of the program we had several distinguished speakers. But perhaps none were more directly affecting than Freddi Ford, a Hope & Heroes Board Member, and her son Hank, a cancer survivor. Here are the videos and transcripts of their remarks. Freddi Ford, Parent
Pay It Forward: A Survivor’s Values
There is perhaps no better opportunity for a person to shine brightest than when they are faced with adversity. This is something I learned at a young age after being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Although I was only nine years old at the time, I was able to recognize that I did not want
Precision Medicine For All Children
We’ve written before about our Precision In Pediatrics program, which applies precision medicine to childhood cancer patients, and have some exciting news to share. This past Thursday, thanks to a $1.5 million grant from The Sohn Conference Foundation, Columbia University Medical Center unveiled The Sohn Precision Medicine Program. “Precision medicine is a critical new tool in
Meet Laura’s Heroes At Columbia & Beyond
My name is Laura Fernandez and I am a proud supporter of Hope & Heroes. I’d like to tell you why. In March of 2014 my son, Lorenzo, passed away from pediatric cancer. I hope you never have to watch first-hand what a child goes through in the battle against cancer. But if the