Purpose
The mission of the Four Diamonds Fund "is to conquer childhood cancer by assisting children treated at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital and their families through superior care, comprehensive support, and innovative research."
The Fund does this in a number of ways:
The Fund does this in a number of ways:
- Offsets medical bills not paid by insurance
- Covers other expenses that could disrupt a child's treatment such as car repairs and electric bills
- Funds a team of specialists and therapists for pediatric cancer patients
- Subsidizes the cost of social workers
- Allocates more than 97% of its funds to cancer research, therapy, and care
- Provides support programs for children and their families
History
The Four Diamonds Fund was started in 1972 by Charles and Irma Millard following the death of their son, Christopher. While Christopher was in the hospital, he wrote the story of Sir Millard, a knight who uses the four diamonds of Courage, Wisdom, Strength, and Honesty to be released from an evil sorceress. These four diamonds are the traits that Chris felt were needed to overcome cancer. He lost his battle after 3 years, at age 14.
For more information
Visit the Fund's website or view the annual report for more info on the role of specialists, how the Fund allocates its money, THON, and other important aspects of the Fund.