BENEFICIARY

When Christos was 8 years old, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), one of the most common forms of cancer in children. “I will never forget the day I was diagnosed with cancer,” Christos told participants at the 2023 CHOP Golf Classic. “My life — and that of my family — was flipped upside down in a matter of seconds.” Christos endured a lot during his 2½ years of treatment: surgery, chemotherapy and a complete lifestyle change — including hair loss. He missed school, friends, soccer and fishing. With his family’s support, and the dedicated care and expert treatment from doctors, nurses, child life specialists and many others at CHOP, Christos is now in remission.

Because the Children’s Fund is not limited to a specific use, CHOP can draw upon it whenever there is a need for quick action:

• A discovery that needs to be fast-tracked
• New technology that can potentially transform patient care or research
• Innovations to improve patient support services
• The hire of a leading expert at CHOP

CHOP prioritizes professional and continuing education for our dedicated healthcare leaders. The Children’s Fund enabled us to:

• Establish the new Breakthrough to Zero program to reduce harm and provide educational opportunities for CHOP’s Quality and Safety department leaders
• Bolster salary support in the Departments of Pediatrics and Surgery, paving the way for them to tackle challenges and advance standards of care
• Offer Diversity, Equity and Inclusion content and programming to all areas of the enterprise

A child’s illness can turn a family’s world upside down in an instant. At Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, we partner with families to treat children and provide families with exactly what they need at each moment in their journey. This includes:

• the most advanced treatments
• world-leading pediatric experts
• comprehensive support programs like art, music and pet therapy (which are not covered by insurance)
• spaces that heal and inspire

Donor support from events like the CHOP Golf Classic fuels the hospital’s efforts to deliver an unparalleled patient-family experience through the Family and Visitor Services Breakthrough Fund.