Family Reach Sponsors Key Study of the Economic Impact that Cancer Has on Families

Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Children’s Hospital Boston
to Assess an Often Overlooked Consequence of Cancer

Boston, MA – October 4, 2011 – Family Reach Foundation has announced that is providing a special projects grant to a multidisciplinary team of physicians and researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Children’s Hospital Boston to help fund a study examining the economic effects that pediatric cancer has on families.  One of the only prospective studies of its kind, the work is intended to measure the extent of financial hardship that families face, and serve as a basis to propose how resources and new approaches may help to minimize the problem.

“We know that financial concerns represent a significant stressor for families of children with cancer,” said Dr. Kira Bona, a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology fellow at Dana-Farber Cancer Center/Children’s Hospital Boston who is leading this study. “Parents tell us that the worry of keeping a roof over their child’s head and food on the table is second only to the worry of whether treatment will be successful.  I’m confident that we can do better than this, and the first step in helping families is defining the scope of the problem. This study is designed to provide a robust description of the work disruptions, associated income losses and accumulated debt, and financial coping strategies our families are experiencing.”

Other retrospective studies have highlighted the severe economic impact a cancer diagnosis can have on a family.  For cases where a child is stricken by cancer, parents often miss several weeks of work without pay, and many are forced to have at least one parent leave employment indefinitely in order to take care of their child during treatment.  In an earlier study conducted by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute that focused on cases where children endured long treatment periods and lost their lives to the disease, 35% of families were forced to have one parent leave work, and 16% fell below the poverty line as a result of lost income and added expenses.

Family Reach has been working with the Jimmy Fund Clinic at Dana-Farber since 2003, providing over $175,000 of financial assistance to help more than 170 families with a child fighting cancer.  “By working closely with hospital social workers on a daily basis, we witness the extreme financial and emotional toll that cancer has on families,” said Rick Morello, the Executive Director of Family Reach Foundation.  “We are honored to support Dr. Bona and her colleagues on this critical study, as we believe it will help create stronger awareness of the unmet need, and support the case for offering resources to families facing the extremely challenging circumstances of cancer.”

The study was approved by Dana-Farber’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) in July and began in August 2011.  The study has already completed enrollment of pilot families who provided essential expertise in refinement of the survey study instrument by sharing their personal experiences with cancer treatment.  Over the next two years, study researchers will enroll 95 families of children newly diagnosed with cancer who will be undergoing chemotherapy treatment at Dana-Farber/Children’s Hospital Cancer Center.  These families will complete a face-to-face survey at the beginning of treatment, and again after six months of chemotherapy to track the impact of treatment on family economics. Family Reach’s grant will be used to support surveying needs and to fund a research assistant working on the project.

“We are very appreciative of Family Reach’s support on this study, and their commitment to supporting our families,” said Dr. Bona.  “We are hopeful our findings will provide an evidence-base for improving the quality of life of families whose children have cancer.  On an immediate level, a clear understanding of particularly financially vulnerable populations will be useful in guiding the distribution of existing resources.  On a broader scale, we hope that this study will provide the foundation for much needed future intervention programs that may target both standards of care in clinician interactions with patients, as well as available resource support services.”

About Family Reach Foundation

Family Reach Foundation is a nonprofit organization providing financial relief and heartfelt support to families fighting cancer.  The Foundation strives to reduce the often overwhelming financial and emotional burdens that families experience after a child or parent is diagnosed with cancer.  Family Reach was originally founded in 1996 as a grassroots cancer support fund by the families of Christopher Colangelo and Kristine Morello-Wiatrak, who lost their battles against pediatric cancers in 1981 and 1995 respectively.  Today, Family Reach works closely with leading cancer hospitals and their social workers to identify families in great need and provide timely, critical assistance.  Over the last decade, the Foundation has helped more than 1,500 families pay for everyday expenses and medical costs that often accumulate during a patient’s battle with cancer including mortgage, rent, transportation and insurance co-pays.  Based in Parsippany, NJ and Boston, MA, the Foundation has established a growing network of private and corporate supporters to fund the mission and play a meaningful role in the overall fight against cancer.  For more information, please visit www.familyreach.org.

About Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Children’s Hospital Cancer Center

Since 1947, Children’s Hospital Boston and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have provided comprehensive care for children and adolescents with cancer through a joint program. The two Harvard Medical School affiliates share a clinical staff that delivers inpatient care at Children’s and outpatient therapies at Dana-Farber’s Jimmy Fund Clinic.  Dana-Farber/Children’s Hospital Cancer Center, one of the world’s best pediatric cancer centers, is known for quickly translating scientific discoveries into new treatments.

The center includes many of the world’s most experienced pediatric cancer and blood disorder specialists as well as international experts from every pediatric medical subspecialty, including cardiology, neurology, neurosurgery and endocrinology, among others. Skilled pediatric oncology nurses, child life specialists, resource specialists, and psychosocial experts also provide care. The center’s comprehensive experience and knowledge is unparalleled in the United States and gives young patients the best chance at survival.  In its 2011-12 Best Children’s Hospitals Guide U.S. News & World Report ranked Dana-Farber/Children’s Hospital Cancer Center as the top pediatric cancer hospital in the United States.

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Contact:
Rick Morello, Executive Director
Family Reach Foundation
(617) 223-1585
rjmorello@familyreach.org