When Valerie Goldstein lost her battle to cancer at the age of 9, her parents Ed and Sue vowed to help families in similar situations gain easier access to more customized care.


All About the Fund
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The Valerie Fund supports comprehensive health care services focusing on psychosocial programs for children with cancer and blood disorders close to home.


About What We Do
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Your participation, time or financial gift ensures that children get everything they need to receive the most effective treatment.


Ways to Help
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Our unique blend of medical care and emotional counseling gives patients and their families the supportive environment they need during treatment and beyond.


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Supporting children with cancer and blood disorders since 1976

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The Valerie Fund Blog

Getting the Most Out of Summer Even With Sickle Cell

Posted by The Valerie Fund on
06/14/21

Summer should be about fun and having a good time for kids. They get a break from their routine and schoolwork and can finally relax - enjoy being a kid! However, for those kids battling sickle cell disease, summer brings with it certain risks. We want to share some tips on how to maximize your child's summer enjoyment without risking their health, a possible pain episode, or injury. 

read more »

Topics: moms, sickle cell, caregivers, hematology, patients, nutrition

Why Giving Thanks Should Be A Year-Round Practice

Posted by The Valerie Fund on
11/25/19

 

Well-being and wellness has been a recurring theme lately on this blog (click here to read about self-care for family caregivers and click here to read about how to reduce stress). It has never been more important to ensure your emotional well-being is taken care of but in today's world it can seem to be more difficult than ever to do just that. Today we are going to take a look at another aspect of emotional wellness.

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Topics: psychosocial support, holistic healing, moms, caregivers, support group

National Family Caregivers Month

Posted by The Valerie Fund on
11/18/19

We celebrate many things in November each year and none are more important or powerful than our own families. No matter who you consider family or what yours may look like, your family is the backbone of your life and the people most likely to be there for you when you need it most. 

November is also National Family Caregiver Month and it is our absolute honor to spend a few minutes discussing the importance of family caregivers when it comes to our heroes of The Valerie Fund. 

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Topics: moms, caregivers, patients

The Importance of Emotional Wellness

Posted by The Valerie Fund on
10/07/19

 

Unfortunately, stress is something everyone can understand. We all have stress in our lives and most likely we would all say we have too much of it. Left unchecked, stress can begin to affect both your mental and physical well-being. October has been designated as National Emotional Wellness Month and this week's blog provides some helpful ways to learn how to slow down and breathe.

While emotional wellness is important for everyone, it is critical for parents and families of children treated by The Valerie Fund. A pediatric cancer or blood disorder diagnosis presents new levels of stress for parents and families and it is imperative that everyone be as healthy as possible - physically and mentally - throughout this process. 

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Topics: child life, moms, caregivers, hematology, oncology, centers, Center Staff

Back to School Tips for Kids with Sickle Cell Disease

Posted by The Valerie Fund on
09/03/19

The month of September means two things: it is National Sickle Cell Awareness Month and it's time for back to school!

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Topics: Blood Disorders, moms, sickle cell, awareness, hematology, patients

Getting the Most Out of Summer Even With Sickle Cell

Posted by The Valerie Fund on
07/15/19

Summer should be about fun and having a good time for kids. They get a break from their routine and schoolwork and can finally relax - enjoy being a kid! However, for those kids battling sickle cell disease, summer brings with it certain risks. We want to share some tips on how to maximize your child's summer enjoyment without risking their health, a possible pain episode, or injury. 

read more »

Topics: moms, sickle cell, caregivers, hematology, patients, nutrition

Welcome to Grace's House

Posted by The Valerie Fund on
04/11/19

The Valerie Fund invites you to Grace's House, a Valerie Fund Designer Show House.

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Topics: moms, fundraising, art, volunteer, give back, patients, grace's house

Founders' Perspective: An Inside Look

Posted by The Valerie Fund on
04/05/16

Sue and Ed Goldstein created The Valerie Fund in 1976 after losing their younger daughter Valerie to cancer. In Valerie’s memory, they were driven to make things better for other children and families fighting that same battle. In 1989 Sue and Ed’s older daughter Stacy was diagnosed with breast cancer and in 2001, at the age of 37, Stacy, too, lost her battle with cancer.

Sue was always in the forefront of getting the word out about The Valerie Fund and parenting a sick child. She co-wrote and co-produced the early Valerie Fund newsletters, and has just recently started writing for her personal blog.

What follows is an enlightening excerpt from Sue’s as-yet-unpublished memoirs titled “Unexpected Lives”. She describes the book as “...told from a mother’s perspective... the story of how one family confronts cancer in its only two children: Valerie, diagnosed when she was three, and years later, Stacy, diagnosed at twenty five." Sue uncovers her family’s will to live fully and enthusiastically. Hovering over all, however, is a dark cloud of uncertainty as ordinary people are faced with extraordinary illness.

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Topics: Pediatric Cancer, moms, Founders, caregivers

MOM2MOM: A Program By Moms For Moms

Posted by The Valerie Fund on
03/30/16

Amy Tarabokia’s son, Nicholas, was diagnosed with leukemia in 2006 just shy of his fourth birthday, and received his last treatment in 2009 on his seventh birthday. She notes that there are many support groups for families but very few, if any, just for moms. "Moms take care of everyone else and tend to put themselves 'on the back burner'.” One of the things she remembers most vividly is the overwhelming feeling of isolation, particularly when Nicholas was quarantined and her “only outlet was the phone.” She tried to stay positive but there was a “constant dark cloud” hovering over her. The Valerie Fund Mom2Mom program gives moms a way to connect with kindred spirits who understand what it means to have a sick child because they have been there themselves. 


 

read more »

Topics: Blood Disorders, cancer, moms, caregivers, support group

The Power of Giving

Learn more about the ways you can help. 

Join in the fight against childhood cancer and blood disorders: donate, participate in an event, or volunteer your time. Our philosophy is that to truly heal the children whose care we are entrusted, we must treat them emotionally, socially, and developmentally, as well as medically.

 

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