Imagine your child is diagnosed with cancer.
Would your world stop?
For too many families, this is their story.
The mission of the Austin Hatcher Foundation is to erase the effects of pediatric cancer and optimize each child and family member’s quality of life beginning at the time of diagnosis and continuing throughout survivorship.
All programs and services are offered through the foundation’s Education Advancement Center. Every service offered is provided at no cost to individuals, and the foundation does not bill insurance. Families are relieved from the burden of having to pay for services or go through the challenges of insurance to access high-quality healthcare and mental health services.
Consistent with growing literature on the interconnectedness of parent and child mental health, family-centered psychosocial care is considered essential in the field of pediatric oncology. Families are challenged to not only learn how to cope with individual stress situations but how to adapt to the changing demands of each phase of treatment.
To understand the need for psycho-oncology services in a pediatric cancer setting, it is important to understand the effects that cancer has on the affected child and his or her family members. More than 1,300 children in the United States will be diagnosed this month alone.
With treatments available today, four out of five of those children will survive. While these numbers are good, they don't tell the entire story.
These numbers don’t tell you those diagnosed must go through to be cancer-free. They don’t tell you what life is like after childhood cancer. Many children will face learning problems, growth problems, and developmental delays that can result from treatment on their growing bodies. They’ll have endless appointments with countless specialists to manage the lasting effects of treatment. Some will have psychosocial issues when they go back to school and try to resume a “normal” life after time spent isolated from their peers. Some will have mental health problems like depression, anxiety, or even PTSD from the trauma of childhood cancer.
Caregivers to the diagnosed child often experience symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress. Siblings of children with cancer report increased feelings of anxiety, fear, sadness, and grief. The Austin Hatcher Foundation works to meet each family wherever they are in their childhood cancer journey and provide each family member with tools to cope in the present and thrive in the future following a cancer diagnosis.
When families enter the foundation’s doors, they are welcomed by a team of licensed, experienced, and kind clinicians and guided through specialized therapeutic programs, all in a fun and welcoming environment. Services offered include Occupational Therapy, Mental and Behavioral Health Therapy, Counseling, Neuro-Cognitive Testing, Academic Support, and so much more.
All services and programs are provided to families with the vision in mind that every child and family impacted by childhood cancer reaches their fullest potential, and the Austin Hatcher Foundation is here to walk alongside them every step of the way.
This spring, the foundation is hosting its first annual “Monday Before the Masters” golf tournament!
The first “Monday Before the Masters” is honoring Simone Otterman. Simone was diagnosed with Infant Leukemia at ten months old and battled for almost sixteen months before passing in September of 2015.
“Simone was a beacon of light on Earth and continues to inspire us,” said Traci Otterman. “Not a day goes by where she is not talked about, remembered, or missed.”
On Monday, March 28, 2022, the foundation is holding the tournament at Black Creek Golf Club. It will be run through a “Shotgun Start” beginning at 1 p.m.
Teams are welcome to register in groups of four. Those interested may also purchase a “walker” ticket to be a part of the fun without having to play!
Registration is now open, and spots are limited!
Events like these are just part of the fundraising that is done at the Austin Hatcher Foundation. We are so thankful to our donors that help us further our mission of erasing the effects of childhood cancer every day.
If you would like to learn more about the foundation or donate toward life-altering therapies that are provided to local families daily, please visit www.hatcherfoundation.org today!