Chester-Based Non-Profit Launches Support Program For Parents Of Pediatric Cancer Patients

CHESTER, NJ — A locally based non-profit has launched a support program for parents and caretakers of children who are battling cancer.

The Cancer Hope Network, based in Chester, has officially launched its newest program – Hopeful Hearts: Parents Supporting Parents.

The purpose of the new program is for parents and caretakers of pediatric cancer patients to get the support they need from one another. The program connects parents of currently ill cancer patients with parents whose children beat cancer, who offer “emotional support and optimism.”

Volunteer parents of children who beat cancer, called “Hopeful Hearts Peer Mentors,” help parents dealing with the unimaginable with coping mechanisms and tools to navigate their children’s health issues.

“We created Hopeful Hearts because we recognized parents of pediatric cancer patients were in need of support,” said Beth Blakey, executive director and chief operating officer of Cancer Hope Network. “We provide parental support regardless of the hospital where a child is being treated, and it is our deep understanding of the cancer caregiver experience that has informed our commitment to such a program because there is no one who better understands the situation than someone who has walked in those shoes.”

According to a study published by JAMA Network Open, more than 18 percent of parents caring for children with cancer sought mental healthcare. Additionally, parents of children with cancer were more than 30 percent more likely to seek mental healthcare compared to parents of cancer-free children.

“Our Hopeful Hearts Peer Mentors will provide parents navigating the challenges of their child’s cancer journey with the comfort of shared experiences, emotional support, and guidance,” Blakey said in a statement. “Our goal is to empower parents to advocate for their child during treatment, while also encouraging them to get the strength and support they need to better cope.”

Cancer Hope Network is offering free training to those who wish to become Peer Mentors. Volunteers must be the parent/guardian of a pediatric cancer survivor who has been at least one year out of active treatment.

Those seeking a mentor, or seeking to become a mentor, can do so on Cancer Hope Network’s website.