{"id":386913,"date":"2026-09-01T06:44:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T06:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/386913\/"},"modified":"2026-09-01T06:44:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T06:44:14","slug":"the-be-a-friend-campaign-for-local-kids-fighting-cancer-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/386913\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u201cBe a Friend\u201d campaign for local kids fighting cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1197669\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1197669\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Child-Parent-Doctor-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-1197669\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">STOCK PHOTO<\/p>\n<p>Barbara\u2019s Friends \u2013 Golisano Children\u2019s Cancer Fund is inviting Southwest Florida residents to double their impact for local children battling cancer through its Be a Friend campaign, with all donations matched up to $60,000 thanks to presenting sponsor Florida Radiology Consultants.\n<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt Florida Radiology Consultants, we are honored to support the children and families who face cancer with extraordinary courage every day,\u201d said Jamal Ksar, M.D. \u201cBy matching donations during the Be a Friend campaign, we\u2019re giving our community an opportunity to make an even greater difference for local children and families who need support throughout treatment and recovery.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>For more than 30 years, Barbara\u2019s Friends has enhanced pediatric cancer care in Southwest Florida by funding programs and resources that support children and families beyond traditional medical treatment.\n<\/p>\n<p>Donations to Be a Friend help provide emotional and financial support, fertility preservation services, pediatric psychology, Child Life programs, Camp Boggy Creek experiences, end-of-treatment celebrations, college scholarships for survivors, stuffed animals for newly diagnosed patients, and other initiatives that improve quality of life and give families hope throughout their journey.\n<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery day, we see the impact Barbara\u2019s Friends has on children and families navigating some of the most difficult moments of their lives,\u201d said Amy Helgeson, senior director of development for Lee Health Foundation. \u201cThis campaign and matching opportunity allow every donor to do even more. Whether someone gives $25 or $2,500, their generosity will go twice as far in helping provide comfort, support and critical resources for local families navigating their journey through cancer.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p>To make a one-time gift or become a monthly donor, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/leehealthfoundation.org\/be-a-friend\/?utm_source=release&amp;utm_medium=media_relations&amp;utm_campaign=be_a_friend&amp;utm_term=2026&amp;utm_content=announcement\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">BarbarasFriends.org<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n<p>About Barbara\u2019s Friends \u2013 Helping Kids with Cancer at Golisano Children\u2019s\n<\/p>\n<p>Established in 1995, Barbara\u2019s Friends provides equipment, staffing and services to support lifesaving cancer care for children at Lee Health Golisano Children\u2019s. The Pediatric Hematology\/Oncology Program, the only one of its kind in Southwest Florida, has cared for more than 12,000 children since opening. No child is ever denied treatment due to their family\u2019s inability to pay. For more information about Barbara\u2019s Friends or to support children in your community, call Lee Health Foundation at 239-343-6950 or visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.barbarasfriends.org\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">BarbarasFriends.org<\/a>.\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"STOCK PHOTO Barbara\u2019s Friends \u2013 Golisano Children\u2019s Cancer Fund is inviting Southwest Florida residents to double their impact&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":386914,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-386913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=386913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/386914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=386913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=386913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=386913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}