Patient & Family Support Services

Pediatric Cancer Research

Basic Needs Fund

Patient & Family Support Services

One Mission funds patient & family support programs that provide vital services designed to educate, empower and lift the spirits of pediatric cancer patients and their families as they deal with the diagnosis and treatment of this devastating disease. Some examples of the programs we fund include:

• Just for Teens - Provides teenage cancer patients with much needed relief from the burden of their disease by involving them in fun activities such as arts and crafts, movie nights, dinners, cooking classes, and other fun activities.
• Just for Sibs - An in-patient support program designed to help siblings of pediatric cancer patients.
• B.E.A.D.S. (Beading Each A Different Story) - Oncology patients receive a specific bead to represent an important procedure or event in their treatment. The children string their beads together to give them a sense of achievement and help them to cope with the numerous procedures and treatments they must endure as they fight to get better.
• Pet Therapy – pets visit with patients who love animals and provide a cheerful diversion from their treatment and hospitalization.
• Patient Care Pages - families create and personalize their own web pages, called CarePages, to share information about their child with relatives and friends. One Mission helps fund the resource room at Children’s Hospital Boston where patients have access to digital cameras and computers to create their care pages and post them on-line.
• Hospital to Home - Facilitates the coordination of care between the hospital and home for newly diagnosed cancer patients and first-time stem cell transplant patients.
• Back to School Program - Prepares children diagnosed with cancer to return to school; assists the family in supporting the child’s transition, fosters open communication, and prepares classmates and staff in welcoming students back.
• Family Respites/Social Initiatives - Provides families the opportunity to take a break from the stress and anxiety of their child’s treatment and share their journey and experiences with others through social interactions such as pizza parties, weekly support groups, and holiday meal gatherings.

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Patient and family support programs help ease the burden and pain of pediatric cancer on children and their families.