September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, a time to celebrate survivors, honor those who are still fighting, remember those who fought and to remind ourselves of the difficult reality for many children and families. As Standish honors this month, we are reminded of the essential role of our donors in providing relief and support for brave and resilient pediatric patients.
Cancer is a hard enough diagnosis for an adult, but when a child receives a cancer diagnosis, it can be especially confusing and frightening. When you support Standish Foundation for Children through donating to our programming, you help dissipate that fear and confusion for children in need of joy and hope.
Oncology child life specialists and psychosocial care providers are advocates for the hospitalized child who educate them about their diagnosis and treatment, teach them positive coping strategies, and support them through painful procedures, long hospitalizations and all of the uncertainties of cancer. Their goal is to meet the child and family where they are at, provide opportunities for expression/play and create an environment free from traumatizing experiences, and Standish Foundation works to bring necessary funding to these individuals and programs.
Our programming helps normalize the hospital environment for pediatric cancer patients through all steps of their treatment. While cancer can’t always be controlled, the way the children experience their medical journey is under the control of dedicated healthcare professionals and child life teams. When you donate to our programming, you help normalize their day to day life by providing fun activities, laughter and resources to cope and to better understand their diagnosis.
Standish Foundation for Children believes that children and families should have a voice in a hospital and dedicate our mission to transforming the hospital experience entirely. Meeting a child and family where they are at is essential to the hospital experience. Standish Foundation provides programming and play opportunities that allow children to express themselves, learn and prepare for their experiences and provide comfort. Standish also provides innovative and evidence-based education to healthcare professionals that want to learn techniques and skills to make it better for children. When this type of programming is available we have the ability to reduce fear, pain and anxiety for children and their caregivers.