How Technology Is Changing Pediatric Cancer Care
Treatment for pediatric cancer patients can be disruptive and exhausting for both children and their families. In addition to discomfort, patients may experience fear, low self-esteem and a loss of normalcy and autonomy. That’s why Charles Martin, MD, Cleveland Clinic Interventional Radiologist, and his colleagues in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and on the Oncology Child Life Team at Cleveland Clinic Children’s were inspired to do something a little out of the ordinary to ease some of their patients’ understandable anxiety. They brought in virtual reality (VR).
“I love the medium of mixed reality,” says Dr. Martin. “I think it’s something that is wildly underappreciated and not fully explored in healthcare.” Through VR, the team created a fun and engaging experience that teaches kids how to properly care for their medical ports, also called mediports.
“The port is with the patient for the entirety of their care, so it’s super important for patients and their parents to be comfortable with how the device works and how to care for it,” says Dr. Martin. “If you don’t take care of it appropriately, it can lead to serious complications.”
Accessing an implanted port for medications and blood draws is a sterile procedure that requires certain precautions, according to Cleveland Clinic Child Life Specialists Molly Gross, MS, CCLS, and Salena Dannels, CCLS. “When you’re diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, your whole world is turned upside down,” says Molly. “You don’t feel well. You’re isolated from your friends, and you’re getting poked and prodded. This VR experience is helping us diminish some of the anxiety that our grade school and teenage patients exhibit.”
“The kids love putting on the headset, operating the joysticks and discovering things,” says Salena. “They become the nurse, washing their port site for a full 30 seconds and going through the whole process on an avatar. They also can turn on lights, open a window, change colors and change outdoor scenery. It’s a nonthreatening way to learn and cope with anxiety.”
Dr. Martin credits Reynaldo Zabala and Michael Kliegl of RazorEdge, a local digital innovation firm, for creating the experience. He reports that, with their help, his team was successful in not only developing a working prototype but also deploying the technology to some patients and parents. He notes they also couldn’t have done it without the $48,200 Catalyst Grant they were awarded.
Catalyst Grants are given to caregivers with innovative ideas to improve the lives of Cleveland Clinic patients, the organization and communities around the world. The grants are funded annually by thousands of gifts of all sizes from donors.
“We’re working now on creating a more robust experience,” says Dr. Martin. “We’re maturing all of the visuals to get them even more vivid and crisp and trying to turn this into a platform that could be used for multiple opportunities within Cleveland Clinic – or even perhaps beyond that.”
Nonprofit ‘Lights the Lamp’ for Hockey Moms
Ice hockey is tough. Hockey moms are tougher.
Rising before dawn, logging thousands of miles on the family car, and spending uncountable hours cheering from the stands when the team’s players ‘light the lamp’ or score, these indomitable women not only support their kids in a favorite sport, but they sacrifice untold time and money while doing so.
“It’s an ‘all-in’ sport,” says Kristin Duke, a founding member, along with her husband, John Duke, of the Rocky River, Ohio-based Hockey Mom Foundation. “For the families involved, hockey becomes an all-encompassing lifestyle.”
As a volunteer-run nonprofit organization, the Hockey Mom Founation honors hockey moms everywhere by raising funds to further cancer research and the care of cancer patients. Cleveland Clinic has been a recipient of the foundation’s generous grants since 2016.
But the impetus behind their good works dates back much further, to Buffalo, New York, in the 1970s, when five scrappy hockey moms formed a deep and abiding friendship. Playfully calling themselves the "Gators" – in reference to a prank they pulled on each other during a Florida vacation, allegedly involving a “magic-grow” sponge capsule and a hotel bathtub – the women became a second family to one another as well as enduring role models for their kids.
One of those kids was John Duke, foundation president and founder, whose mother, Ruth Duke, was a Gator.
“My mom didn’t really enjoy sports,” John says with a chuckle. “But when it came to her kids, she didn’t miss a game. That’s just who she was. For the hockey moms of that generation, there was a lot of sacrifice involved; they were amazing women who inspired their kids to excel, both on and off the ice.”
The other Gators were Liz Carone, Jane Opre, Judy Rechan and Barb Brown. When four of the five women passed away from cancer, John, Kristin, and their friend Brandi Rucinski (herself a hockey mom) began considering ways to honor them and their sacrifice.
“There were a lot of emotions,” John admits, “and we wanted to find a way to direct those emotions in a constructive manner.”
In 2014, they established the Hockey Mom Foundation, whose mission is to support cutting-edge cancer research and care of cancer patients, primarily focusing on initiatives for women and children.
Largely funded by an annual Buffalo-area golf outing, the foundation’s grants were initially modest. “We tried to help fund research where even a small amount of money could make a huge difference,” John says.
In recent years, however, both the golf outings and the grants have grown.
“This upcoming Gator Open will be our 10th,” Kristin says, and participation has steadily increased. This year’s fundraiser will be Friday, September 19, 2025, at Glen Oak Golf Club in East Amherst, New York. Beyond golf, supporters will be able to bid on donated prizes and enjoy raffles and a silent auction.
The fundraiser has earned enthusiastic support from the hockey community, Brandi says, including from professional players. “One year Ray Bourque (a retired Boston Bruin player, widely considered to be one of the greatest NHL players of all time) donated three signed jerseys for the auction; they raised $9,000!”
So far, the foundation has raised a total of $180,000. As a result, grant amounts have increased significantly, to a total of $45,000 in 2024. “This year, our goal is to raise enough money – more than $50,000 – to take our fundraising total to a quarter of a million dollars,” Kristin says.
Cleveland Clinic has been the fortunate recipient of five foundation gifts, in 2016 (Taussig Cancer Institute Patient Support Services, for wigs and other personal services); 2018 (Lerner Research Institute, for breast cancer research); 2019 (Cleveland Clinic Gynecologic Oncology Research Program); 2023 (to Cleveland Clinic Children's for the Better Care From Home initiative); and most recently, in 2024, to the Lerner Research Institute, this time for research addressing treatment selection for patients with sarcoma.
“It’s very important to us to be good stewards of the monies we raise,” Kristin says. “We look for causes we believe in and well-vetted organizations that we know will use the funds wisely. That describes Cleveland Clinic perfectly. We’ve spoken with the researchers and doctors there, been given tours of the facilities and know exactly where our gifts are being used.
“The people in Cleveland Clinic’s donor department are very transparent and responsible, and have identified meaningful opportunities for our gifts,” she adds. “It’s been wonderful to work with them.”
Through the Hockey Mom Foundation, John adds, “we’ve been able to have some fun, honor our hockey moms and move the needle for cancer patients.”
It’s a homage the Gators would appreciate, the board members agree.
“I knew John’s mom,” Brandi says. “My kids called her Grandma Ruth; she was that person who made all the kids feel like they were part of a family. And I know nothing would make Ruth prouder than seeing what we’re doing in their name.”
“We’ve been blessed,” Kristin agrees. “We’ve had loving families and the ability to do great things in our lives. Giving back in the name of those hockey moms everywhere has been deeply gratifying, of course; but it also feels like what we should be doing.
“In the end, that’s what it’s all about. We’re having fun, helping others, and honoring that mom-to-child commitment in the memory of some amazing women.”
Transforming the ED Experience for Children
The emergency department (ED) can be a daunting place for kids, filled with loud noises and bustling activity. To help ease their fears, a caregiver at Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital sought a Catalyst Grant to make the space more welcoming and pleasurable.
“When pediatric patients come in, they are intermingled with the adults and that can be very intimidating and scary for them and their families,” says Stacy Sweeney, MSN, APRN-C, a Nurse Manager at Tradition Hospital. “We want to try to keep these children calm and improve their experience.”
Although there is a pediatric floor, there was not a dedicated area in the ED where little ones could be entertained, and sometimes, more importantly, distracted. Now, there is a pediatric inclusion area in the waiting room outfitted with new puzzles and activity tables, as well as two pediatric-focused examination rooms.
It’s the little things that sometimes make a big difference for our patients and caregivers. Stacy and her team purchased other helpful items, such as a Buzzy, to help divert children's attention and ease their pain when receiving IVs. Through a cooling sensation and vibration, Buzzy reduces procedural pain from intravenous injections, the drawing of blood and vaccination.
A Wee Sight vein finder, a medical device that uses a strong LED light to enhance the visibility of veins in children, is also proving invaluable. “The nurse does not want to poke a child more than once,” says Stacy. “Of course, it’s stressful for the patient and their family, but it's stressful for the nurse, too. They feel the anxiety the child is exuding. So, these things are making it better for the patients and the caregivers. We can deliver care a little bit more efficiently.”
Perhaps the largest addition to the ED is a sizeable TV that has a live underwater feed of incredible coral reefs with vibrant fish. This has created a soothing environment for all visitors, not just pediatric patients. Funding for the entire improvement project was made possible through the Catalyst Grant program.
Catalyst Grants are funded annually by thousands of gifts of all sizes from donors. The competitive grants are awarded to caregivers with ideas to improve the lives of Cleveland Clinic patients, the organization and communities around the world. Stacy and her team were awarded $15,615.
“The Catalyst Grant definitely makes it easier to implement these improvements without having to jump through a bunch of hoops,” says Stacy. “It feels more attainable, and I think that this has really made a huge difference for our patients already.”
