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The past 50 years have seen The Valerie Fund grow from an idea shared in a grieving family’s living room—a vision born from loss and love—into a lifeline for children battling cancer and blood disorders. What began as a need to bring compassionate care closer to home has evolved into a network of eight Valerie Fund Children’s Centers, supporting more than 6,500 children treated for cancer or blood disorders, from metro Philadelphia to eastern Long Island.

 As we mark this milestone year, The Valerie Fund is proud to announce the launch of a brand new program, The Valerie Fund Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care Program at the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center. This program addresses pain and discomfort in children in treatment for cancer, blood disorders, and other specialties, including those undergoing complex treatments that include bone marrow transplants and gene therapy.

 “Palliative care is about providing comfort, dignity, and an extra layer of support when families need it most, and this incredibly generous gift from The Valerie Fund will be transformational, allowing us to build a world-class, comprehensive program that matches the outstanding clinical care we provide.” Joyce P. Hendricks, president and chief development officer of Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation.

The Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care Program, along with expanded care across The Valerie Fund Children’s Centers network, will be funded through the ALL ABOUT THE KIDS (and the families who love them) CAMPAIGN, which will coincide with The Valerie Fund’s 50th anniversary. 

This program will be funded through an initial 3-year, $2.1 million commitment, with the option to extend for an additional 2 years and $1.4 million. This will allow the hospital to more than double the program’s capacity. The Valerie Fund’s commitment includes funding for a dedicated pediatric pain management psychologist, a full-time social worker, a creative arts therapist, a clinical nurse specialist, and a nurse navigator.

Together, this team will ensure that children treated through the new Valerie Fund program receive the comprehensive psychosocial support that defines every Valerie Fund Children’s Center—care that sets the gold standard in pediatric hematology and oncology.

Now, with as many as 6,500 patient families relying on us each year, we must continue to ensure the uninterrupted funding of all the services that keep our kids emotionally and developmentally healthy during the most challenging years of their lives.

 The Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care Program is a vital service that promotes quality of life, healing, and support for children facing chronic, complex, or advanced illness. With more than 75 percent of its consults serving hematology-oncology and stem cell transplant patients—beneficiaries of The Valerie Fund’s mission—this partnership is a natural and powerful alignment.

“This support will fundamentally change how we deliver care,” said Stacey Rifkin-Zenenberg, M.D., section chief of Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care. “It allows us to build the interdisciplinary team we have dreamed of—a team that can address not just physical pain, but the anxiety, depression and emotional distress that accompany a serious diagnosis. We can now implement specialized counseling, expand our creative arts therapy to reach more siblings, and build a more robust bereavement program. This means more time with patients, better outcomes and a profound improvement in the quality of life for the children we serve.”

The Valerie Fund has always been – and will always be – all about the kids and the families who love them!