‘Ray of hope’ for terminally ill children

Approximately 500 children are diagnosed every year with various forms of cancer, according to data from Hospice Casa Sperantei. Official statistics show that in 2005 there were 4,467 children suffering from cancer and three times more suffering from other terminal diseases. More than half of these children need specialized palliative care and their families need support and counseling to be able to deal with their situation.
GlaxoSmithKline participated in the project with a donation of GBP 300,000 which was the largest sum the company has donated in Romania. “The donation made by GlaxoSmithKline Global Community Partnerships for the project ‘Ray of Hope' allowed us to take an important and extremely necessary step for the development of palliative care in children,” said Graham Perolls, president and founder of the foundation Hospice Casa Sperantei. As part of this project, a center for excellence in pediatric palliative care was opened within the Hospice Casa Sperantei unit in Brasov. The number of children helped by the foundation increased from 90 to 150 in Brasov and from none to 45 in Bucharest.
Otilia Haraga