From the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to Pedals for Pediatrics Supporters:

When diagnosed with cancer, patients are forced to face fears, make complex decisions, and cope with stress that would have previously been unimaginable.  The ripple effect of cancer is one that many people do not anticipate.  Patients routinely endure long procedures and examinations, taxing the mind and body, and stretching already busy schedules to the breaking point.  Finances are strained, and many families experience economic hardship as a result of a child’s illness.  It is for these reasons that Pedals for Pediatrics Fund is so important.  The fund helps lighten the burden faced by families and patients and allows them to focus their energies on what is most important:  battling this difficult disease.

Last fiscal year, Pedals for Pediatrics funds were directed to augment two pediatric resource rooms in Children’s Hospital:  the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Resource Room located on 6 West between the Stem Cell Transplantation and General Oncology units, and the 9th floor neuroscience room.  These rooms need a constant influx of supplies, such as a variety of arts and crafts materials, games and videos, and reference materials that can answer questions about treatment and illness.  These items are perfect for keeping the children and parents engaged in a creative and educational way while they receive their treatment.

The funding was also applied to the “Just for Teens” and “Just for Sibs” programs.  The support for “Just for Teens” allowed for every newly diagnosed teenager to receive a “coping kit.”  This bag contains a deck of cards, a Red Sox hat, a stress ball, a toiletry kit, booklets, a disposable camera, a pack of gum, and other items.  Ceramics and glazes were also purchased for the teen patients to paint, with local college MassArt volunteering their services and kilns to fire the completed pieces.  Support for the sibling program was used to purchase the meals and craft activities for each support group of siblings between the ages of 5 and 12 years-old.

For our older, adolescent patients with increasingly busy lives, the pressures of school and extra-curricular activities combined with jam-packed social calendars can make the long hours they spend in the clinic or hospital seem like an eternity, consuming what precious free time they have.  In an effort to make their experience as comfortable, positive, and productive as possible, the fund was used to purchase 13 new laptop computers with wireless capabilities for the stem cell unit patient rooms.  The computers offer a constructive way for patients to use their time, either by working on homework assignments, web surfing, or staving off feelings of isolation by staying in touch with friends through email.

In addition to parking assistance vouchers for families visiting the Longwood Medical area, DFCI’s Patient Assistance Fund has distributed your support to 19 different families for direct and immediate assistance towards paying a rent or mortgage payment, and the purchase of $1,000 worth of $25 CVS gift cards.

The fund also provides support for those patients just beginning and just ending treatment.  The Hospital to Home Program affords for a one-time visit from a nurse trained in oncology to a newly diagnosed patient, providing a smooth transition from hospital to home and addressing common issues such as medication and line care.  The Brain Tumor End of Treatment book, of which publication costs were offset by the Pedal to Pediatrics Fund, is an educational reference explaining long-term effects and what families may face in the future as their child comes off treatment.