Jonathan Jaques Children's Cancer Institute at MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach partnered with Hyundai Motor America’s nonprofit organization, Hyundai Hope on Wheels, to commemorate Childhood Cancer and Sickle Cell Awareness Month. Hyundai Hope on Wheels awarded the Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Institute a $100,000 impact grant to support research initiatives enhancing care for children with cancer and sickle cell disease.
This grant will positively impact the Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Institute’s comprehensive programs, such as the Executive Function Program, which is designed to help children who face challenges in self-regulation and executive dysfunction – often a side effect of cancer treatment. With the help of trained psychologists, social workers and Child Life specialists, the team works directly with patients and their families, teaching executive functioning strategies and adaptive skills in four different domains: self-care and medical management, social interaction, home living, and school participation. Through initiatives like the Executive Functioning Program, the Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Institute ensures that patients not only survive but thrive post-treatment.
“This program is especially important as it addresses cognitive challenges resulting from cancer treatment,” said Dr. Jacqueline Casillas, medical director of the Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Institute, who accepted the grant on behalf of the institute. “A recent study that our patients participated in showed that executive functioning, inattention and decreased processing speed are common areas of weakness. This grant will make a real difference by enhancing our ability to help children experiencing the side effects of treatment that disrupts the brain’s ability to control thoughts, emotions and behavior.”
Currently, there are no school-based programs or affordable private centers in our region that offer comprehensive executive functioning skills training, and most insurance companies do not cover these services. The Executive Functioning Program at Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Institute fills this critical gap, further solidifying Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Institute’s commitment and ability to offer advanced treatment, support services and care, and critical research initiatives that improve the lives of pediatric patients with cancer and sickle cell disease and help them cope with the challenges of their diagnosis.
As part of the grant celebration, patients of the Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Institute had the opportunity to leave a personal mark on pediatric cancer awareness by placing their handprints onto a new Hyundai vehicle that will travel across the country, sharing stories of hope and resilience from these brave patients.
“This was a really creative and fun experience for us,” said Atticus Maldonado, seventeen-year-old patient with rhabdomyosarcoma. “Getting to be outside, paint our hands, stamp them on the new car and on Dr. Casillas’ coat was a really meaningful activity.”
The Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Institute has received the $100,000 grant from Hyundai Hope on Wheels for two consecutive years. This funding has been crucial in enabling the development of innovative programs that improve treatment outcomes and quality of life for pediatric patients with these serious conditions, fostering hope for better long-term health.
“We are deeply grateful for our enduring partnership and Hyundai’s continued support,” said Yair Katz, chief executive, Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach. “Their generosity means so much to us, especially as we celebrate our patients and their families during Childhood Cancer and Sickle Cell Awareness Month.”
One of only 10 children’s hospitals in the United States to have full accreditation through the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons, the Jonathan Jaques Children’s Cancer Institute provides quality, compassionate care to children with cancer, sickle cell disease and other serious blood disorders.