It’s National Nursing Week so we’d like to take a moment to recognize the extraordinary professionals who take care of children with cancer and blood disorders at Columbia University Medical Center. If you’ve ever met any of our nurses, you probably already know about their endless dedication and compassion, and their tireless work on behalf
Why We Walk: Team Uma Buma!
Sometime last year, amazing baked goods began appearing in the outpatient clinic. Gourmet doughnuts, cookies from Levain – the most delicious stuff imaginable – and it was there for patients, families and staff to enjoy. We asked around to find out who was making this happen. Was it the bakeries themselves? Was it a local
What Motivates Me?
When thinking about the question “What motivates me?” for the Hope & Heroes Walk the obvious answer would be my job. As Events & Outreach Manager at Hope & Heroes, I’m the person behind all of our major events and most of our community events. But, to me, the Walk is so much more than
A Top Team For Research
There’s no question that being a Top Team in the Hope & Heroes Walk requires motivation. Raising $15,000 or more from family, friends and colleagues can be a lot of work. Dr. Julia Glade Bender, in addition to leading our Developmental Therapeutics Program, is captain of Team DVL, a perennial Top Team. Here’s why she walks,
History, Still Being Written
We recently met the family of a newly diagnosed Hodgkin’s lymphoma patient. They told us that when researching where to go for treatment, “all roads” led to Dr. Kara Kelly, the Associate Director of the Division of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology & Stem Cell Transplantation. This didn’t surprise us as we have heard from many patient
The Future of Cancer Research
Just steps away from our office, some of the great scientific minds of our time are working diligently to investigate cancer in all of its forms. Yesterday morning, several of the those scientists gathered in the Rotunda of the Low Library on Columbia University’s Morningside campus to take part in a panel discussion on
A Patient’s Voice: The Full Potion
Zoe Cappella Cooper is a Seventh Grader at the Salk School of Science in New York City. She’s also a childhood cancer survivor who was treated here at Columbia University Medical Center. She recently won the Scholastic Gold Key Award for Memoir Writing for her piece The Full Potion. The award was richly deserved as
The Parents’ Room: Healing Magic
Alex is three years old and just celebrated her last day of chemotherapy, ending 25 months of treatment. She was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at 14 months. We were impressed to learn that Alex’s mother, Lucy, was inspired by our Arts in Medicine Program to help childhood cancer patients back in her home country
Kids Helping Kids: Staten Island Edition
At the end of October 2014, I was invited to Staten Island to speak to the fourth grade class at P.S. 4. I gave them an overview of childhood cancer and why we need to raise funds to both serve patients better and pursue research that will lead to improved treatments and, ultimately, a cure.
The Parents’ Room: Moppie’s Love
In November, I was asked to introduce our son Jeff Binder at the Hope & Heroes Gala at Chelsea Pier in New York. He was being honored as the recipient of the Dustin Drapkin Memorial Award. As I was writing down my remarks, it forced me to think back and relate to my time at