PHX Reporter

Hyundai Hope on Wheels has awarded the Banner Health Foundation a $100,000 Imagine Grant to enhance the well-being of pediatric oncology patients and their families at Banner Health’s Diamond Children’s Medical Center. The funds will support various initiatives designed to meet physical, psychological, and social needs, including hosting a survivorship event, purchasing video game consoles for patient rooms, and enhancing the décor of the children’s oncology unit.

Media are invited to attend a check presentation ceremony at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson Social Hall, 1501 N. Campbell Ave. in Tucson.

Diamond Children’s offers advanced technology to detect cancer, diverse treatment options, and supportive services for young patients with various types of cancer, including leukemia, brain tumors, and lymphoma—the most common cancers affecting children. A member of the Children’s Oncology Group, Diamond Children’s is Arizona's only pediatric medical facility connected to an academic research facility—the University of Arizona Steele Children’s Research Center.

“The needs of children, teenagers and young adults are different from the needs of adult cancer patients,” said Emmanuel Katsanis, MD, chief of Banner Children’s and University of Arizona's statewide Pediatric Blood and Cancer Program. “We are grateful for the funding from Hyundai Hope on Wheels which will critically improve the well-being of our young patients during these formative years.”

Since 1998, Hyundai Hope on Wheels has supported families, researchers, doctors and children impacted by childhood cancer through donations from every new vehicle sold by Hyundai Motor America and its more than 830 dealers.

Banner Children’s – Diamond Children’s Medical Center provides comprehensive pediatric care for newborns to teens. Services include emergency care; diagnosis and treatment for heart disorders; traumatic brain injuries; autism; developmental disorders; cancer; diabetes; endocrinological issues; gastrointestinal disorders; neurological problems; orthopedics; intensive care needs among others. It remains Arizona's only pediatric medical facility linked to an academic research center—the University of Arizona Steele Children's Research Center—providing access to groundbreaking science aimed at advancing children's health.

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