Cancer Center For Kids at NYU Winthrop Hospital
Mineola, NY July 2017
$5,000 granted to Cancer Center For Kids at NYU Winthrop for the Music Therapy Program. The Music Therapy Program is offered free to pediatric patients and their families to help them deal with feelings, fears, and questions, it can help children develop and grow while they continue to battle a terrible disease. The children have learned to cope with personal issues and emerge from a world of medical procedures and pain to take part in making music, and joyfully participating in live vocal and instrumental performance. The Music Therapy Program heals and celebrates the human spirit.
Pediatric cancer patients are often frightened about the disease, its treatment and outcome. Often, they lose their ability to imagine and hope. Research shows that music fosters a sense of well-being and improves the quality of life for the child and family when used in conjunction with medical and psychosocial disciplines. Music in a comfortable and fun environment can jump start the healing process and speeds patients to the road to recovery. Where words fail, music speaks and can be heard.
The family as a whole benefits from Music Therapy; the music and songs open up a space between the child and the parents where they can meet in the middle, listen to each other and respond. This is a true meeting of the heart and soul. This grant will cover ten off-treatment patients generally newborn to young adulthood.
In addition, their siblings, parents, and staff members can
participate. However, countless other patients and family
members also benefit from the collateral inspiration this
program brings.
“On behalf of the Schmitt family, I want to thank the Foundation Committee for choosing the Cancer Center for Kids at NYU Winthrop University Hospital as a recipient of a grant from PFP to benefit their Music Therapy program. The Cancer Center has been a special place for our family but also for so many other families. I also want to thank all PFP employees who have contributed to the Foundation so we can provide these needed grants to many special causes. It is important to give back in the communities we live in and PFP is walking the walk”
~John Schmitt
