Hyundai Hope On Wheels Awards $100,000 to Roswell Park to Support Pediatric Palliative Care

• Dr. Kanwal Mallhi receives $100,000 from Hyundai Hope on Wheels
• Grant supports pediatric palliative care, pain management
• This marks the eighth grant Roswell Park has from HHOW

BUFFALO, NY - Hyundai Hope On Wheels® (HHOW), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization supported by Hyundai Motor America and its U.S. dealers, awarded a $100,000 Hyundai Impact Award Grant to Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center to continue its long-standing fight against pediatric cancer. The Hyundai Impact Award was presented to Kanwal Mallhi, MD, at Roswell Park on Wednesday to establish a dedicated pediatric palliative care program. Dr. Mallhi joined Roswell Park in 2023 as the Clinical Director of the Pediatric Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Program.<_o3a_p>

"This grant is particularly important and dear to me as it will facilitate providing an important service to my patients, as well as others within our program," said Dr. Mallhi at the event. "Historically, palliative care was focused on providing end-of-life care. It has evolved to focus on providing relief of symptoms and delivering comprehensive supportive care to patients with advanced illnesses throughout their entire disease trajectory with a goal of improving quality of life for both the child and the family."<_o3a_p>

"Transplant life is not an easy road," said Meghan Benimoff, mother of pediatric cancer patient, Desmond. At just 11 years old, Desmond has faced cancer twice. "Desmond rang that Victory Bell yesterday here at Roswell Park; it is the sweetest sound on Earth. We have hope for a future with more cures, more research and less harsh treatment for these children. Thank you, Hyundai Hope On Wheels. This funding and the resulting services are so critical for my Desmond and all the pediatric cancer patients that walk through these very doors. Thank you for easing the burden of families walking past, similar to ours, and thank you Roswell Park, Dr. Mallhi and Dr. Kelly for saving my baby once again."<_o3a_p>

Throughout the summer and into September - which is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month - Hyundai Hope On Wheels is traveling the nation to award $26 million in grants to doctor-researchers. This brings the organization's lifetime donation total up to more than $250 million to help kids fight cancer. The theme of this year's initiative is "Hope lights the way."<_o3a_p>

"This collective effort is all about the kids," said Mark Delaney, Eastern Region Merchandising Manager at Hyundai. "Our goal is to help kids grow, play, learn and achieve their dreams in a world free of pediatric cancer."

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From the world's first chemotherapy research to the PSA prostate cancer biomarker, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center generates innovations that shape how cancer is detected, treated and prevented worldwide. Driven to eliminate cancer's grip on humanity, the Roswell Park team of 4,000 makes compassionate, patient-centered cancer care and services accessible across New York State and beyond. Founded in 1898, Roswell Park was among the first three cancer centers nationwide to become a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and is the only one to hold this designation in Upstate New York. To learn more about Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Centerand the Roswell Park Care Network, visit www.roswellpark.org, call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or email [email protected].<_o3a_p>