Patient and Family Services

Leukemia, the most common form of childhood cancer, strikes many children in Arizona each year. The Leukemia Foundation of Arizona directs its energy and funds to help these children and their families.

Because the organization is totally managed by volunteers, all funds are allocated for direct assistance, not salaries or other categories of overhead expenses.

How We Help

Our patient assistance program was designed to be quickly responsive to the specific and often unique needs of Arizona families struggling with childhood leukemia. We are not limited by nationally based restrictions and red tape as are many other charitable organizations.

As a small, grass-roots organization, we are not able to allocate funds to pay medical expenses, as our resources would be quickly depleted. However, the design of our program allows us to consider virtually any request that will help to sustain an Arizona family dealing with the devastating crisis of pediatric leukemia.  Assistance provided includes, but is not limited to the following:

  • Utilities-Water, Electricity, Gas bills
  • Communication-Landline and cell telephone bills
  • Housing-Mortgage and Rent payments
  • Transportation-Gas, Car insurance and repairs, and car payments
  • Health Insurance payments
  • Child care for siblings to allow parents to be with the hospitalized child
  • Tutoring
  • Counseling for the patient and family members
  • Assistance with burial expenses

We depend fully upon the assessment skills of the social workers and counselors affiliated with the specialized  institutions with which we work,  to determine need and appropriateness of all requests.  All referrals for assistance are therefore received directly from the social workers and counselors representing the child’s family and treatment team.

Additional special programs are managed directly, or in collaboration with community partners, such as Children’s Cancer Center in Phoenix, Tu Nidito and University Medical Center in Tucson.  These special programs have included:

  • Tu Nidito Courage Bead Program
  • Beads of Courage©
  • Discretionary Funds-Provided to Children’s Cancer Center, University Medical Center, and Tu Nidito
  • Annual Holiday Gift Program
  • Education and outreach
  • Neuropsychological evaluations of children with leukemia
  • Other special projects as requested by institutions that are dedicated to providing services to children with leukemia.