Helping Hands

There were so many people across Texas that have been affected by Hurricane Ike. Young cancer patients are no exception. As most of you know, we help families who have children at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, as well as M.D. Anderson in Houston. Many of the families there come in from outlying areas. When they do, they need a place to stay while their child is receiving treatment. Due to Hurricane Ike, The Ronald McDonald House in Houston is closed for at least two months, due to flooding damage. Almost every local hotel is booked. This creates a MAJOR problem for the social workers, as they try to find places for their kids to stay so they can receive the treatment they need.
This is one of many ways Heroes for Children steps in to help. Last week, we received a request from Texas Children's Hospital for a 21 year old who has Ewing's Sarcoma. He lives in Oklahoma, but is receiving his treatment in Houston. He needed to come in for treatment, and was in critical condition. There were no vacancies at the hotels in Houston. He was unable to make the lengthy round trip due to his condition. HFC paid for a hotel room in Plano, TX., about half the distance to Houston for his family to spend the night in, to break up the trip. We were also able to help them out with the costs of fuel for the long trip to Houston.
As the year comes to a close, please remember Heroes for Children in your year end giving to enable us to continue helping families like this one who so desperately need our help.