Oct. 14, 2026 \u2013 Throughout Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Southwest Florida community united to support local children facing cancer and blood disorders through the Be a Friend campaign benefiting Barbara\u2019s Friends \u2013 Golisano Children\u2019s Cancer Fund. The month-long effort generated more than $100,000, helping ensure children throughout the region continue receiving specialized care close to home.<\/p>\n
For families navigating a childhood cancer diagnosis, treatment often means frequent appointments, long days in clinic, and months or even years of care. Through Lee Health Golisano Children\u2019s pediatric hematology and oncology locations in Fort Myers and Naples, children can receive expert care while remaining close to their families, schools, and support systems. The program is one of only nine state-designated pediatric hematology and oncology centers in Florida.<\/p>\n
\u201cChildhood cancer impacts an entire family,\u201d said Amy Helgeson, senior director of development for Lee Health Foundation. \u201cBecause of Barbara\u2019s Friends and the generosity of our community, children receive exceptional care right here in Southwest Florida while families focus on what matters most: helping their child heal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since 1995, Barbara\u2019s Friends has enhanced pediatric cancer care in Southwest Florida by funding critical programs, services and support for children and families. Today, more than 90 children are actively receiving treatment through Golisano Children\u2019s pediatric oncology program, which has cared for more than 12,000 children and young adults since its inception and achieves survival rates above the national average.<\/p>\n
The Be a Friend campaign was strengthened by generous support from Florida Radiology Consultants, which served as presenting sponsor, and Cameratta Companies, which made a leadership gift to support local children and families facing cancer. Their commitment helped inspire community participation during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery gift represents a family who won\u2019t have to face this journey alone,\u201d Helgeson said. \u201cWhether it\u2019s helping a family get to treatment, supporting a child\u2019s emotional well-being, or providing resources not covered by insurance, community support allows Barbara\u2019s Friends to meet families where they are and walk alongside them throughout treatment and recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through the continued generosity of donors, volunteers and community partners, Barbara\u2019s Friends remains committed to ensuring that Southwest Florida children facing cancer and blood disorders have access to the care, support and hope they need, close to home.<\/p>\n
To learn more about Barbara\u2019s Friends and make a gift, visit BarbarasFriends.org.<\/p>\n
About Barbara\u2019s Friends \u2013 Golisano Children\u2019s Cancer Fund<\/p>\n
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 BarbarasFriends.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Oct. 14, 2026 \u2013 Throughout Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Southwest Florida community united to support local children facing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":429478,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-429477","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\/429477","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=429477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/429477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/429478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=429477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=429477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=429477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}