Pediatric Palliative Care

Children living with a terminal illness deserve proper care even when a cure is not possible. The Dr. Jay Charitable Foundation has identified the need for pediatric palliative care across North America. The Foundation intends to bring awareness to this problem and raise additional funds to solve the problem. The Foundation has already donated funds in support of two pediatric palliative care centres, Canuck Place in British Columbia and Darling Home for Kids in Ontario.

We Recognize Children's Needs

How does a child view terminal illness? No one can say for sure. What we do know, with certainty, is that a child will experience terminal illness differently than an adult. While adult counseling and palliative care programs have made strides over the years, pediatric palliative care programs have been almost totally overlooked. Since 1994, The Dr. Jay Charitable Foundation has assisted children and their families with the unique challenges associated with terminal illness and pediatric palliative care. As a charity, our focus is twofold: The Dr. Jay Children's Grief Program and Pediatric Palliative Care at the Darling Home For Kids.

Hospices & Playrooms

When we first began, we had the idea of helping families who were presently going through the trauma of cancer. We went to the Princess Margaret Hospital and met with the head of the Foundation and asked what they felt was a great need that we could help them with. At that time, they introduced us to a woman who was undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy and she was faced with a daily additional stress of what to do with her young children when she was receiving treatment. On several occasions she was unable to get a baby-sitter and had to cancel several treatment appointments. The hospital told us that this was a familiar story and that a free, safe supervised playcare centre would be a blessing. Once we completed the playroom, we received calls from other hospitals asking for the same.

We were approached by 2 hospices who needed help. With little to no government funding, they also were in great need. This was our first experience with palliative care and end-of-life care for patients.