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Posts Tagged: Parenting

A Mom’s Thoughts on Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

BY Katie Leiby

As we come to the end of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, we want to share with you a message from Alison Meletta Kucich. Ali, a writer, is the mom of three wonderful boys including Xander, who is a pediatric cancer survivor. The Kucich family is a part of the Hope & Heroes community, and we are

A Family Fight Against Sickle Cell Disease

BY Katie Leiby

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

My Eight Year Old Taught Me to Love Fundraising

BY Patty Cavallo

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

Owen’s Art Experience

BY Jeremy Shatan

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

BY Jeremy Shatan

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

Awareness Starts With You

BY Jeremy Shatan

        The funds raised by Hope & Heroes are in greatest part directed to Columbia University for clinical programs and research. However, we do have  donor-directed funds that we use to help patient families with immediate financial needs resulting from illness. Working with hospital social workers and other staff to help pay for

Our Wise And Wonderful Nurses

BY Jeremy Shatan

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!

BY Jeremy Shatan

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

The Parents’ Room: Healing Magic

BY Jeremy Shatan

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

The Parents’ Room: Moppie’s Love

BY Myrna Binder

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