Our Families
When your child is diagnosed with cancer, your world stops.
Time and again, stories have emerged of families who have lost their home, their job, declared bankruptcy - simply because they needed to be with their suffering child. We provide small grants to help families with financial struggles so they can focus on what’s important - their child.
One example is a family from the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago. Their son was diagnosed when he was 2 years old with medulloblastoma, and endured years of treatment and surgery. When he was six, his tumor had advanced beyond help, and he was sent home for hospice care in his final weeks. At the same time, his mother had taken a leave of absence from her job, making money tight at a moment when that is the last thing they should worry about. The Violet Foundation helped to cover that month’s rent and take one stressor away from a terrible time in their lives.
Family Spotlights
Amayah, 13, of Indianapolis was diagnosed with DIPG in July 2022. Her family had only recently gotten beyond public assistance, but between her treatment needs and also wanting to spend as much time with her as possible, the family quickly fell back on hard times. The cost of traveling to Chicago for a clinical trial and both parents needing to miss work in order to do so led to extreme hardship. The Violet Foundation has helped Amayah and her family with travel expenses and rent payments, where other foundations could not. She has been seen at Lurie Children’s Hospital since then, proudly wearing her purple Violet Foundation wristbands during her visits.
Shortly after he was born, Levi, of Rolling Meadows, IL, was diagnosed with an Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor, which is a rare and fast-growing tumor that typically develops in the cerebellum or brain stem. Now 3 years old, Levi has been in treatment at Lurie Children’s Hospital since April 2020. His parents just welcomed a second child over the holidays and they asked for help with living expenses from the Violet Foundation.
