Help and Hope Happen Here

Art Therapy has proven to be a very successful activity for Pediatric Cancer patients undergoing treatment for cancer. Tracy Councill will talk about this program which she started back in1991. 30 years later, it has helped thousands of kids look forward to having at least one part of their protocol  be a fun and enjoyable activity to participate in. This program has now expanded from 1 clinic to...

Child Life professionals play a critical role in the lives of Pediatric Cancer patients as Bailey Kasten and Kelly Wagner will discuss in today's podcast. Among their many responsibilities, they need to work with the emotional and anxiety issues that patients and their families experience, along with making sure that these children feel safe and comfortable. They also need to be prepared to d...

Natalie Smith is now healthy as this 21 year old approaches her graduation from Georgetown University. Natalie would like to be a Pediatric Doctor so medical school will be in her future. She is also a very creative writer and please let me know if you would like me to send you a story that she has written , as I was unable to attach it to my show notes. I can be reached at putting4patients@gmail....

After an 82 month battle with Neuroblastoma, Vickie Buenger's daughter Erin passed away in 2009 when she was 12 years old. Vickie will talk about her daughter who up to the last week before her passing, was still involved in trying to raise money for the disease of Neuroblastoma, and was still trying to live the most productive life possible . Vickie is now the President of the Coalition Agai...

HELP AND HOPE HAPPEN HERE has been featured by Feedspot  https://blog.feedspot.com/childhood_cancer_podcasts// as one of the top 25 Childhood Cancer Podcasts which is nice to hear. A major reason is that I have been fortunate to interview some very interesting guests with compelling stories to share involving their experiences with Pediatric Cancer. One of those guests is Mindy Dykes, who will tal...

In today's Podcast, Mary Beth Collins will talk about her son Joshua's battle with Neuroblastoma, which started just before his 2nd birthday. Now 24 years old and doing well, Joshua went through many side effects because of his treatment, which multiplied during his adolescent years and beyond. Mary Beth will talk about the critical need to focus on Pediatric Cancer Survivorship, as many...

Janet Demeter's son Jack passed away from Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma  or DIPG just before his 4th birthday in 2012. Janet will talk about Jack and her efforts to get the plight of this disease in the minds of Congress with her DIPG Advocacy group that she started in 2017. Janet will also speak about her worldwide internet radio show entitled Childhood Cancer Talk Radio 

Joe Andruzzi played in the National Football League for 10 years and won 3 Super Bowls with the New England Patriots in the early to mid 2000's. Joe was diagnosed with Non Hodgkin's Burkitts Lymphoma in 2007. In 2008, Joe and his wife Jen started the Joe Andruzzi Foundation as a way to assist families in need who are going through difficult times with their battle with cancer.  This Foun...

Dr. Mark Kieran was the Director of Pediatric Neuro Oncology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute from 1997 to 2018, with his primary focus being on pediatric brain tumors. Dr. Kieran will talk about  some of the different types of these tumors and will talk about the differences between pediatric and adult brain tumors. With pediatric brain tumors being the leading cause of childhood cancer deaths...

The indomitable Mariah Forster Olson was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma in June of 1980 when she was a year old. Mariah was proclaimed "cancer free" by her doctors at the age of 8.  But that was really only the beginning. Now, some 40 years later, Mariah has had 47 surgeries, approximately 100 medical issues, and on a good day, her pain level is a 6 and averages an 8, with 10 being the hig...

Jan Ross is the Director of the Dana Farber- Jimmy Fund Running Program. In today's Podcast, Jan will talk about the beginnings of this program which was started as the Dana Farber Marathon Challenge in 1990, after a Harvard freshman decided that he wanted to raise money in memory of a friend, also a college freshman, who had passed away from cancer. With the help of his former coach, 1976 Bo...

Vicki and Peter Brown lost their son Mattie to Osteosarcoma at the age of 7. Vicki and Peter talk about Mattie's difficult battle with this disease before his passing, and then talk about the Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation , which they started in his memory. This foundation is the only National Non Profit  Foundation which is dedicated to Psychosocial Awareness, Advocacy, Support, and Resea...

In today's Podcast, Alan Osit will talk about his son Jacob, who passed away in 2007 after a 6 year battle with Neuroblastoma. Although Jacob has now been gone for 14 years,  Alan and his family still  honor his memory with their Golf Fore The Kids Golf Tournament. This tournament has raised $870,000 since the tournament began in 2003 and is contributing to helping the lives of Pediatric Canc...

In today's HELP AND HOPE HAPPEN HERE Podcast,  Barbara Anderson will talk about her son Jude's battle with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, which Jude was diagnosed with when he was 18 months old. Barbara will detail a journey which saw Jude travel from his home hospital in Tucson  Arizona , to Children's Hospitals in Minneapolis, Seattle, and Philadelphia before his home doctor in Ari...

Ginger Diamond is a true activist in the cause of trying to help Pediatric Cancer patients. In today's HELP AND HOPE HAPPEN HERE Podcast, Ginger will talk about the many foundations and organizations that she works with and the various roles that she tries to fill as she does whatever she can to make the lives of these kids as pleasant as possible. Ginger has a particular passion for the Make...

Genetic Testing and Genetic Counseling are becoming an increasingly important part in the fight against Pediatric Cancer. In today's HELP AND HOPE HAPPEN HERE  Podcast , authors Meagan Farmer and Dr. Nathaniel Robin do an excellent job in talking  about Genetics and how the study of  this science  can affect both children and their families as they deal with the many aspects of Pediatric Canc...

Jack Christianson was diagnosed with the genetic disorder of Down Syndrome shortly after he was born. Then at the age of 5 , he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Jack's mother Debbie talks about everything that Jack has been through including a cancer relapse at the age of 10, and many other physical issues that Jack has successfully battled through. Now 15 years old, Jack&apos...

When a friend's newborn son was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma just days after he was born, Jen Marchetti decided to ride in the Pan Mass Challenge as a way to help raise funds in his behalf . Little did she know that she would be diagnosed with a rare condition called Pheochromocytoma shortly before her ride was to begin. Despite Jen's doctor telling her that she could suffer a heart atta...

Justine Darmanian is the Director of PMC Kids Rides, a bicycle fundraiser that is open to anyone from the ages of 2  to 15 years old, and which is an important part of the Pan Mass Challenge. Justine will talk about this event in which in the year before Covid, saw 4500 kids participate from 25 Massachusetts communities and raise $1 million dollars. It is a great way for kids to enjoy a really fun...

Mateo Goldman was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2016 at the age of 8. His  journey was highlighted in a Boston Globe Magazine cover story on December 27th of last year, a journey which included very difficult treatment and two bone marrow transplants. His last transplant took place in October of 2020, just 4 months ago and his latest scans taken this past December, all turned up c...

10 year old Ruby Kaufman was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma in 2015.  After one year of grueling treatment , Ruby decided that she wanted to help other kids who were diagnosed with some type of cancer so she created a fundraiser called Ruby's Dance Till You Drop. That fundraiser raised $72,000.  Eventually, through the efforts of Ruby's family, the Rally Foundation, and Dr. Sam Volchenb...

Meet Brittany Ross,  who was known as the "MIRACLE KID " while she was being treated at Georgetown University Hospital in 2001 for Acute Myeloid Leukemia at the age of 16. Brittany was given 3 weeks to live after her diagnosis and if she survived that, her continuing chances of survival ranged from 5 to 15 percent.  Brittany went 275 days without an Immune System during her ordeal, and o...

Meet Amy McCallum, who is the Director of Jimmy Fund Golf. This fundraiser is the largest charity golf program in the country and has raised $140 million dollars in its 38 years of existence, including 8.2 million dollars in 2019.  Amy will speak about the 150 tournaments that Jimmy Fund Golf hosts each year, except for 2020 when the Covid Pandemic allowed only 20 tournaments to be held along with...

Meet Tara Daniels,  who was first diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2009 at the age of 16. Tara is now a 3 time cancer survivor, having relapsed for the first time in 2012 and the second time in 2016. That  relapse included a bone marrow transplant. As she approaches the 5th year anniversary of her bone marrow transplant later this year, Tara is doing well and has quite a story to tel...

Meet Michael and Robby Surprenant  who will talk about Robby's 1 in a hundred million diagnosis of a cancer known as Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor, which he was diagnosed with in 2014 at the age of 11. This cancer is normally diagnosed in people 60 years old. Both father and son will detail a long journey that has been a successful one as Robby has persevered through a difficult time during...