About Dell Children’s Blood and Cancer Center
The CBCC serves as a “home away from home” during the course of treatment for patients, siblings, and family members. Every effort is made to make the children feel comfortable in their new environment, and great care is taken to help the children learn how to manage their pain, anxiety and fears. Specialists work with the children and families on all aspects of life and help them to cope with unfamiliar aspects of cancer treatment. The CBCC currently treats approximately 400 patients per year. 70-85 children in the Austin area are diagnosed with some type of cancer or blood disorder each year.
About Superhero Kids
Superhero Kids was founded in December 2009 to specifically address quality of life issues for children and their families battling cancer and blood disorders at the Children’s Blood and Cancer Center of Central Texas.
Typically when a child is diagnosed with cancer or a blood disorder and begins a treatment program at the CBCC, one parent must stop working outside the home, and devote full time attention to managing and coordinating treatments, education and basic needs of the child in treatment at the CBCC, as well as maintaining the family. The usual duration of treatment can last from 1-3 years and much longer in some instances. The financial burden on a family is overwhelming, not to mention the emotional impact on the child in treatment, siblings and the entire family.
Superhero Kids provides financial assistance to the CBCC to enhance special non-medical programming such as the Hungry Bunch Teen support program, non-medical expenses incurred by families that are not reimbursed by insurance, transportation, basic living expenses, and special educational needs for families who are unable to address these extraordinary and often unanticipated additional costs of battling pediatric cancer and blood disorders.