Hyundai Hope On Wheels Awards $300,000 Grant To Sylvester For Pediatric Cancer Research

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Tuesday, Hyundai Hope on Wheels presented the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center with a $300,000 grant to help fund research to find a cure for childhood cancer.

The Hyundai Scholar Hope grant was presented to Dr. Warren Alperstein, one of 52 doctor-researchers to receive funds in their research for better treatment options and to improve care for children diagnosed with pediatric cancer.

"We are honored to be the recipient of the 2019 Hyundai Scholar Hope Grant which is funding the future of precision medicine in pediatric patients. Metastatic sarcoma can be a difficult disease to treat. The ability to match a patient's specific tumor to the treatment option that demonstrates the greatest response in real time has the potential to change his or her life," explained Warren Alperstein, M.D., the principal investigator for the study at Sylvester.

During the event, children being treated at Alex's Place, Sylvester's pediatric outpatient facility for children with cancer and blood diseases, took part in the program's signature Handprint Ceremony. They dipped their hands in colorful paint and placed their handprints on a white Hyundai Santa Fe, to commemorate their courageous battles.

The campaign theme this year is "Every Handprint Tells A Story."

Every 36 minutes a child is diagnosed with pediatric cancer, impacting 15,000 new, young lives each year. Childhood cancer remains the leading disease-related cause of death among children.

This year, Hyundai Hope on Wheels will reach $160 million in total lifetime funding since 1998 towards finding a cure. With this latest grant, Sylvester has received $700,000 in total grants since 2010.