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Prior
to his death on January 9, 1993, Bear and
his mother discussed and planned the formation
of BNPCFI. During his long stay in the hospital,
Bear expressed more concern for other pediatric
cancer patients than he did for himself.
He and his mother learned of the many hidden
needs of both patient and family members.
Simple things like having games to play
with would go a long way to lightening the
heavy burden the children face. Likewise,
support for basic family needs such as transportation
and parking on the many visits to the hospital
remove undue stresses on an already overwhelming
situation.
The
foundation's Small Miracle Program has provided
a means to fulfill Bear's mission to brighten
the lives of pediatric cancer patients by
granting special requests to them and to
ease the burdens of the families through
assistance with some of the immediate needs
that they may be facing while fighting this
physically, emotionally, and financially
devastating disease. Examples of small miracles
include: family outings, event tickets,
wigs, phone cards, housing and transportation
expenses, special pick-me-up gifts, etc.
The objective is to give children who suffer
from pediatric cancer, who have the same
wants and the same wishes as healthy children,
a moment during their courageous battle
when they can forget their illness and enjoy
just being a child.
Bear Necessities three main programs are:
Small Miracle Program
- immediate patient and family services.
Annual Research Funding
- funding national junior investigative
researchers.
Information and Support Services
- family support programs, educational pamphlets,
parking tokens, bone marrow donor programs,
cord blood banking programs, etc..
Please
go to www.bearnecessities.org
to find out more about Bear Necessities
Pediatric Cancer Foundation
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