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The Miracle Foundation Provides $50,000 Grant
For Health Care Specialist

The Miracle Foundation presented a $50,000 grant to the Cancer Center for Kids at Winthrop-University Hospital. This grant will provide the Cancer Center with a full-time Child-Life Specialist who will assist with the medical, emotional and quality-of-life needs of the children and their families. “The support that the Child Life Specialist provides enables the children and their families to better cope with the day-to-day challenges of living with cancer,” said Patti Tenaglia, Co-Founder of The Miracle Foundation. “We are pleased to be able to provide this assistance for these brave kids who are battling this disease.”

The Cancer Center for Kids was created four and a half years ago by Drs. Mark Weinblatt and Philip Scimeca at Winthrop University Hospital. The center sees about 40 to 50 newly-diagnosed children with cancer each year and actively treats 80 to 100 patients. The center also has several hundred patients in active follow-up. The Cancer Center for Kids is the only pediatric cancer center in Nassau County.

“We saw the benefits this specialist provides to the children and their families and felt it fit within our mission to make a difference for those touched by cancer,” explained Miracle Foundation President Joe Castronovo.

Photo caption:
(L-R) Ed Chewens, Administrative Director, Department of Pediatrics, Winthrop-University Hospital; Maria Kavan, Development Specialist, Cancer Center for Kids, Winthrop; John P. Broder, Vice President, External Affairs and Development, Winthrop; Cathy Schimmel, Nurse Manager, Cancer Center for Kids, Winthrop; Joseph Castronovo, Miracle Foundation President; Patricia Tenaglia, Miracle Foundation Co-Founder; Dr. Mark Weinblatt, MD, Chief, Pediatric Oncology/Hematology and Director of Winthrop's Pediatric Cancer Program; Linda Sweeney, Practice Manager, Cancer Center for Kids, Winthrop; Nicole Pearl, Child-Life Specialist, Cancer Center for Kids, Winthrop; John Kiffel, Miracle Foundation Trustee and Kate Debold, Director, Miracle Foundation.