Our Mission

We are here to create hope.  Regardless of the age of the child, the diagnosis of a pediatric brain stem tumor is devastating for the child, for the family, for the friends, schoolmates, and the communities within which these children live and grow.  After meeting with a pediatric neuro-oncologist, after hearing the painful and hopeless prognosis, after having the prognosis confirmed by second, third, and fourth opinions, little can be done to comfort the families that have been told that their child will die.  If you ask any parent, the one and only request that they have is to have a treatment that will cure their child, or at least give a meaningful extension of their life.  In short, they want hope.  And that is the mission of Jenny’s Quest.

Jenny’s Quest will create hope for tomorrow by raising money to support innovative research today.

Although supporting research is the most important thing that Jenny’s Quest does, it is not enough.  Despite the lack of a cure today, we can make a difference by helping children and families cope by finding ways to express their love, their fear, their hope; by finding ways to connect with others who can understand and help diminish the isolation of being affected by this kind of disease; by feeling empowered with information to assist in the difficult decisions about how, when and where to have a child treated, and how best to support a child during the medically and emotionally difficult period of treatment.

In addition to supporting innovative research:

Jenny’s Quest will help make today matter for the children and families affected by this disease.

How will we help make today matter?  We will create an outreach program and supporting website for children and their families.  With adequate funding and support, our program and our website (www.jennysquest.com) will offer:

Jenny’s Art Studio: Any and every child diagnosed with brain stem cancer will be sent a package of art supplies, a list of art projects (painting, sculpture, crafts), and a “code” to get access to upload pictures of their projects to the website; a series of art projects will be available to help children and siblings express their emotions in confronting the disease.

Jenny’s Writing Workshop: Any and every child diagnosed with brain stem cancer will be sent a writing kit (pens, pencils, diary, etc.), a list of writing projects, and an access code to upload their writing projects to the website.  For children too young to write, instructions will be provided to parents who can become the scribe for their children’s words.

Jenny’s Parents Place: Within 24 hours of verified notice, Jenny’s Quest will send a support package to the parent/family of each diagnosed child.  The support package will include: 30 days of food support (5 days per week for 6 weeks of radiation; financial support for travel to-and-from treatment centers; information on how to find a specialist to treat your child; an iPod for the child to listen to music during treatments or trips to the doctor; and a “How to Take Care of Yourself to Take Care of Your Child” page for parents.

Read About Our Vision »