Though families often have support from their local communities when their child is going through cancer treatment, it is so valuable to know about the many resources and opportunities available to them.
At Cancer Kickers, we strive to unite children and families, both with cancer and in remission, through comfort, community, and support. We’re stronger and more resilient together!
Part of that support means connecting you to other organizations and resources that may be able to meet your specific needs and ease the additional burdens that can come with cancer treatment and illness. We hope that some of these resources will be valuable for you, your families, or someone that you know who is facing childhood cancer.
6 Resources for Childhood Cancer Patients & Families
Transportation can be a significant barrier for families, as cancer treatment and other specialized procedures may have to take place states away. Mercy Medical Angels has been breaking down this barrier since 1972 by providing free medical transportation for cancer patients and those facing other serious medical illnesses. Their aid comes in the form of gas cards, bus and train tickets, as well as air through volunteer pilots and commercial airlines.
If you have unused frequent flyer miles, you can donate them to Mercy Medical Angels as well!
Children’s Oncology Camping Association, International
Though COVID complicates plans to attend an in-person camp, COCA-I helps camps across the United States and beyond network, share resources, and education under the belief that children with cancer are positively impacted by the camping experience. If you are looking for a camp for your child to attend (virtually or otherwise), they are an excellent resource.
Hospital stays can be lonely, stressful, and...let’s face it...boring. Starlight offers happiness to kids who feel like they’re missing out on the fun due to cancer treatments. Through virtual reality, gaming, and entertainment resources, Starlight helps distract, entertain, and inspire kids. Between gaming systems and tablets, arts and crafts, books, and celebrity visits, Starlight exhausts every avenue to bring a little brightness back into the lives of children in the hospital.
With their resources, they bring joy back into the lives of the children who need it most.
Wigs for Kids
Cancer and its treatment can take a physical toll on the body. For children and teenagers, these changes can be disheartening. Wigs for Kids is an organization that specifically helps children with cancer who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy treatments, alopecia, or other medical issues. These wigs help children reclaim their self-confidence, feel and look like themselves, and, at Wigs for Kids, at no cost.
Cancer treatment can be financially burdensome. The National GRACE Foundation gives back by providing free college admissions and financial aid services to pediatric cancer patients and survivors. These include things like information nights, financial counseling, free access to test prep materials, and more. They help families manage their finances and navigate college financial aid and admissions in a way that is empowering and informative.
Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition
Between medical, non-medical, and personal, daily costs for families of a child with cancer, cancer can be expensive. The Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition helps families by providing a searchable database for organizations and resources that provide financial assistance. This assistance can be for medical care and treatments, camps, food, legal aid, home care, medical insurance, housing, transportation, and more.
Their database can be searched specifically for programs and organizations that benefit children, as well as those with specific types of cancer.
While these resources are enormously helpful to families facing childhood cancer, they can help you if you are a friend, family, or community member looking for ways to help. In some cases, you can nominate a child for aid. In others, you can offer a generous donation to benefit the child you know and many, many others.
We’re all in this together. We become stronger when we share information, resources, and company with one another. While it can be difficult to know where to begin, it all starts with coming together and reaching out.
It’s only as a team that we can truly kick cancer!