Yessenia Moreno, MSW, RCSWI
Tiffany Gallart, MSW, RCSWI
Pediatric Social Workers
Nicklaus Children’s Hospital
“To whom it may concern,
Cancer is a brutal diagnosis for a parent to hear. You have a completely healthy child and, in a split second, everything changes. Families are faced with hard truths and even harder decisions to make about how to keep their family afloat while they maneuver through this life-altering diagnosis. We often see parents make the immediate decision to become a single-income household. Over 60% of the children treated at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital are assisted by Medicaid, meaning that most are facing themes of poverty and financial struggles. Taking away one of the parents’ incomes can prove to have serious economic ramifications and send them into a tailspin of distress. The decision never comes lightly, but they find it necessary to ensure their child is supported throughout their treatment.
We, the social workers at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, meet families like this daily. Families that are struggling to put food on the table, keep the roof over their heads, and pay for their most basic necessities. Families that have to decide whether it is more important to make a trip to the grocery store or pay for their car. Families who try and pay the light bill, but their checks bounce due to insufficient funds. They take these financial risks so their child never feels alone and can successfully jump over this hurdle in their lives.
One way we alleviate this burden is by relying on our partners in the community. For 20 years now, Jessica June Children’s Cancer Foundation (JCCF) has been one of our strongest partners. Their financial assistance program has offered countless families the opportunity to regain some economic stability. The program provides help with paying bills like the rent, car, utilities, groceries, and transportation. All of which are necessary to keep our families focused on what matters most: their child’s health and getting them cancer free. Their advocacy program, which raises funds for specific patients has also been an immense support. This program takes families that have often exhausted every means of support and rallies the community to extend help to them. Most often, we refer families that have been facing a cancer diagnosis for years and need ongoing relief to stay strong in their battle. It is unfathomable what these families go through, but it is incredible to know that foundations like Jessica June Children’s Cancer Foundation are here to walk this path with them.
We do not only admire JJCCF for their financial assistance. Sandra and her volunteers provide such personalized support to families and make an impact long after that initial referral. This week we met with a mother recently referred to JJCCF, and she wanted to share with us how helpful and impactful Sandra was. She told us that it was meaningful to hear from another mother that faced childhood cancer and how grateful she was to be connected to her. The mother told me of plans JJCCF had to link her with other foundations in the community and how she was looking forward to having JJCCF as an ally in her journey. The mother thanked us for connecting them, as tears were streaming down her face. We already knew how wonderful and important Jessica June Children’s Cancer Foundation was for our families but interactions like those only solidify how much our families need them.
This letter can never fully describe how much we appreciate JJCCF. We can only hope for their continued success and wish for others to see just how much they mean to the childhood cancer population in South Florida. We are very optimistic about their future and proud to work alongside them in the fight against childhood cancer.”
