Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Support Services improves the quality of life for children with cancer by supporting their families in the challenges they face. Since 1998, we have provided emotional, practical, financial and peer support to hundreds of local children and teens with cancer and thousands of their family members, and accompanied their unique experiences throughout treatment, grief, and bereavement.
We envision a community where every child with cancer or in remission from cancer has a strong and informed family empowered to participate in their care. In the unimaginable circumstance that a child dies, we accompany grieving families in a compassionate and culturally responsive way. We strive to inspire compassionate action in local communities to create a safety net of support for the unique needs of each child and family
When a child is diagnosed with cancer, one thing becomes paramount: getting them to their life-saving treatments and shockingly, 80% of Jacob’s Heart families rely on our transportation services. Children who continue their treatment are more likely to achieve a better survival rate.
A new hybrid vehicle will help us meet the demand for safe and reliable transportation for our cancer patients — all are young, many are uninsured or live below the poverty line — so that children arrive at critical medical appointments and treatment at Bay Area hospitals on time and without additional stress.
Pediatric treatment is primarily available at Bay Area hospitals, placing an additional burden on Santa Cruz County parents who already face financial and emotional crises. The demand for door-to-door rides for children with cancer has more than doubled in the past year, from 507 rides given in 2021 to 1,248 rides in 2022.
Your support will help us add a vehicle to our transportation fleet and meet this growing need. Jacob’s Heart provides security for families and sick children that is not possible with ride shares.
My son has appointments at Stanford twice a week, and my husband isn’t able to get time off at work approved to drive us to the hospital. Without Jacob’s Heart, I don’t know how I would get my son to treatments that can save his life. Jacob’s Heart helps me feel confident that I’ll be able to make it to my son’s appointments, and each appointment.
Erika E.
