My daily job as the Vice President of Government Relations for Lee Health is sharing the stories of our health system, remarkable patients, staff, nurses, and doctors that care for them in order to attain the resources needed for to deliver exceptional patient care. I have the opportunity to share these incredible stories with elected representatives, community leaders, and their staff to carry the mission of bringing home resources from Congress and the State Capitol back to SWFL!

The competition for resources is fierce. COVID-19 brought overwhelming community support for our health care heroes but the patients missed out on a lot. The fighters I'm fighting for with your donation spent a lot of time ALONE in the hospital. Families couldn't visit, just one parent at a time, siblings couldn't play cars or games at the bedside - they had to stay home. Moms and Dads had to choose who stayed with the sick kid and who fought on the home front. Some of these families lost jobs and insurance coverage when they now need them most. Kids couldn't be kids because of COVID, especially our cancer kids they had to truly isolate. Events were canceled and Barbara's Friends lost half a million dollars in potential funding. Right now we need your support. We are trying to expand pediatric resources to help brain cancer patients get surgery at Golisano instead of traveling to Miami or Tampa. We've increased our services for teens and young adults and added an adolescent and young adult lounge. We are building 3 more treatment rooms and a virtual reality chemo infusion room in Naples to help keep care closer to home. All these critical resources are only possible because of your donations and community support. 

YES I'M LOSING MY HAIR! But that's nothing compared to what these real heroes are going through. The team of doctors and nurses that care for our kids with cancer hasn't gotten a break. In fact last year they saw 70 new kids diagnosed with cancer - more than ever - in a pandemic. This event is something that celebrates their lifesaving work and celebrates our kids that have fought and won the battle against cancer. I encourage anyone reading this to considerately think about the last year and what being home meant to you. Now imagine not getting a choice, being in a hospital and having cancer. Help make their reality a little brighter and share hope and inspiration in the form of a donation that equals lifesaving resources.

For the past 26 years, Barbara's Friends has helped over 10,000 local SWFL kids with cancer and blood disorders from infancy to age 30. This year alone more than 25 local children have been told they have cancer. Last year 70 children were diagnosed. The numbers are up. More families need your help. Please support our Shavee's by making a donation and share with our friends and family to make a difference in our community. Cancer doesn't care who, when or were. WE DO! To learn more about the cause please visit BarbarasFriends.org