The HAYIM Association for Children with Cancer in Israel (Template:Lang-he) is an active non-governmental organization that promotes children's health, provides relief and support children with cancer in Israel.

"Hayim" (also transcribed as Haim, Chayyim, Haymi, Chaim Template:Lang-he /[invalid input: 'icon']xɑːiːm/) is a Hebrew word meaning "life" which dedicated to improving and saving the lives of children with cancer^[1].

This non-profit charitable organization was formed by parents with childhood cancer to advocate for their needs, and to support research. Since 1984, the Hayim Association has relentlessly worked to advance treatment and improve the quality of lives of children with cancer.

Background

Hayim Association
	File:Hayim Association Middle Logo.jpg
Founded	25 June 1984
Founder	Prof. Rina Zaizov Marx and parents whose children have with cancer
Type	NGO
Registration no.	580073955
Focus	Saving lives of children with cancer
Location	Derech Ze'ev Jabotinsky 138, Ramat-Gan 52602, IL;
Area served	Israel
Key people	Volunteer Executive Board: Avshalom Cohen (Chairman) Eli Rozenberg (A. Chairman) Amir Segev (Vice chairman) Rube Barak (Vice chairman) Asher Tagar Ahuva Talmor Bertie Avraham Ventura David Orren, Adv Yigal Nechushtan Volunteer Comptroller: Guy Vafner (Accountant) Volunteer C.P.A.: Yuval Kidron (Accountant)
Volunteers	300
Website	hayim.org

Founded in 1984, the Hayim Association was the first institute in Israel that that aims to provide help for children with cancer.

The Association, the brainchild of the late Prof. Rina Zaizov Marx, recipient of the Israel Prize in Medicine, is run by parents of children with cancer, some of whom have made a full recovery and some who died of the disease^[2].

All of work is on a volunteer basis, consuming vast amounts of time and personal resources. The Association initially worked on behalf of the Oncology Department at Schneider Children's Medical Center, but eventually branched within several years to operate nationally, supporting pediatric oncology units across Israel.

The Hayim Association plays a critical role in increasing public awareness of children's cancer, helping to reduce the stigma attached to this disease in various sectors of the public. The various activities provided by the Hayim Association provide these sick children with moments of happiness and solace.

The main aspect of the Hayim Association's activities centers around its promotion of pediatric cancer research and treatment in Israel. A large percentage of the medical progress in this field occurred using state of the art equipment acquired with the help of the Association. The Association supported the creation the Israel Society of Pediatric Hematology Oncology's accurate databases that monitors the incidence of pediatric cancer in Israel and facilitates participation in advanced international treatment protocol that requires significant financial backing. The Association has positioned permanent social services support in pediatric oncology departments across the country that identifies the needs in the field and provides an immediately solution on a daily basis^[3].

The Hayim Association views treating the entire family through family-oriented activities as part of its role. It provides support groups for parents and siblings of children with cancer while providing both material and emotional responses to the unique needs during diagnosis as well as during and after treatment (including material support to families in need, financing special activity days, etc.) Through its endeavors, the Association facilitated the establishment of the first inpatient department in Israel for children with cancer as well as the first bone marrow transplant unit in the country for^[4].

Overview

The Hayim Association is involved in this ongoing struggle and in the raising of funds for the children. It is administrated by a voluntary steering committee. All members of the Association do their work on a totally voluntary basis without pay. Aid is given to all children without any distinction of race, creed, nationality, or political conviction.

The association is a member of the International Confederation of Childhood Cancer Parent Organization (ICCCPO). As its sole representative in Israel, it maintains close relations with the organization and benefits from its experience and knowledge, exploiting it to promote the quality of life of children and standardize their treatment facilities in the various centers in the country.

All the association’s financial sources come from donations from within Israel and from Jewish communities worldwide.

In recognition of its activity, the Hayim Association was awarded the 2002 Alon Prize for its “pioneering example” and for its contribution to society in Israel^[5]. The association bears the Quality Stamp of the Association and Non-Profit Organization sector, and a certificate of Proper Management from the Registrar of Fellowship Societies. Hayim Association is recognized for tax purposes, registered fellowship society no. 580073955.

Current operations

Assistance to Families

The moment a child is diagnosed with cancer, the family balance changes dramatically. Alongside the crisis involved with the diagnosis itself, one parent is often forced to leave their job in order to dedicate themselves towards providing close supervision and care to their child during treatments. The other parent often continues to work while also remaining committed to caring for the other siblings at home, ensuring that their daily routine is maintained as much as possible. This situation, (diminishing incomes vs. increasing expenses), causes families serious financial and emotional distress. Many families experience severe financial crises following diagnosis of their child's illness due to the heavy expenses involved in treating their sick child. The Hayim Association provides financial assistance to families so that parents can continue with their daily routine while providing for the daily needs as well as the special needs involved in paying for their sick child's treatment. The following services are offered:

direct financial assistance to the family;
assistance in funding vital auxiliary equipment;
assistance in purchasing the medication not included in the Formulary (pharmacy) ("health basket") which is considered life-saving;
specific assistance for existential medical needs that will help the child increase their odds of recovery (purchase of special bed, wheelchair, oxygen balloon, hearing aids, special glasses, etc.);

Holiday Meals

On Passover eve and the Jewish New Year the Hayim Association holds holiday meals in the pediatric oncology departments across Israel. Within the confines of the project, sick children who are forced to remain in hospital during the holidays can invite their families to celebrate around a special festive table] near the child’s bed. This meal is organized and funded by the Hayim Association with the support of Association volunteers. It includes a hot, holiday meal with all of the holiday symbols. This meal provides warmth, love and sweetens the holiday atmosphere for the sick children and their families as well as gives them strength, even if its just a little. It also helps to unify the families despite the tremendous crisis brought on by the illness that affects each and every member. Within this project, the Association also helps the families of sick children who are experiencing financial hardships. Those children whose health allows them to be released from the hospital for the holiday eve, are provided holiday grants – financial assistance designed to help the family organize for the holiday and purchase the products and holiday symbols required for the holiday just as in any home in Israel.

Transportation Services

This children patients must travel to and from the hospital to receive treatments. Many families encounter financial strain as a result of the child's illness and due to the heavy costs involved in their treatment. Dozens of families with sick children do not have a private car and the child's health does not allow them to travel by public transportation due to their compromised immune system. The frequency of the hospital visits is high, placing an additional financial burden on the families. The Hayim Association has provided assistance in obtaining reimbursements and even fully funding transportation costs in cases where the health maintenance organization does not participate. Included are tests, follow-up visits and various emergencies that require the child to travel to the hospital.

Caregiver Services

The moment a child is diagnosed with cancer, the family dynamic changes dramatically. In addition to the tremendous crisis – diagnosis of the disease- parents are forced to leave their jobs in order to dedicate themselves and accompany their child during treatments. One parent often continues working while also remaining committed to caring for the other siblings at home, and must maintain their daily routine as much as possible. During the initial stage of active treatment, families experience emotional turmoil attributed to the changes and upheavals in their lives. Afterwards, they must cope with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, transplants, surgeries, lengthy hospitalizations and require intense care and close help. The Hayim Association provides sick children and their families with caregiver services. The services are designed to help the families who require additional assistance and support in the hospital and at home for the child and his or her siblings.

Summer Camp

The summer months are difficult for those children, as they are in the hospital undergoing treatments while their healthy friends are enjoying summer camp and activities. The sick children who are undergoing painful treatments are forced to avoid summer pleasures: traveling in public areas due to their weakened immune system (as a result of the treatments), swimming, beaches and participating in summer camps that offers a wide range of activities. As a result, the Hayim Association is bringing summer camp into the pediatric oncology departments where children can enjoy a wide range of special activities that cater to their special needs and limitations, thereby uplifting the children's spirits.

Dental Care

One of the most important systems in oncology treatment of children with cancer is dental and oral hygiene. The link between cancer and teeth can be seen in two specific ways:

The immune system of children who receive chemotherapy is severely weakened which places them at a higher risk of contracting infections through dental care. The mouth constitutes as major source of infections in children who receive chemotherapy. Therefore, care of the teeth and gums is of primary importance to children who are undergoing treatment in order to reduce the risk of infection.
The chemotherapy and radiation therapy alone is damaging to the teeth, gums and mouth lining. If maximum attention is not paid to this problem, the damage may be long term and further impair the child's health. This can also increasing the chances of complications in the child's health as a result of infections that weakens the quality of life of a child who has recovered from cancer.

As such, dental care constitutes an essential and vital component in the child's overall treatment. Pre-emptive dental care that is integrated with oncological treatments reduces the complications of treatment while significantly contributing to reducing the suffering of these children and improving their future health.

The most common type of cancer in children is leukemia. When a child must undergo a bone marrow transplant, preemptive treatment is required in order to minimize the risk of infection that might damage transplant success. Dental care incurs serious expenses that force the family to pay in cash as a result of the financial situation that many families of cancer-stricken children experience but they are unable to make these heavy payments. In certain cases, without financial assistance, hospitals are forced to postpone transplants due to insufficient preparation of the transplant child. Despite the critical importance of dental care in children with cancer, the issue does not receive a satisfactory response from Israel's healthcare system. Although the law requires the HMOs to fund some of these children's dental care, in reality, there are several reasons preventing the provision of dental care to children with cancer:

Dental care in children with cancer is difficult and complex due to their compromised immune system and impaired blood clotting abilities. Dental care must be provided by specialists in pediatric dentistry and the number of these experts in the community is extremely low.
Due to bureaucratic failures, most children with cancer do not receive full insurance coverage for these treatments.
Due to the high cost of dental care- many families encounter difficulties in paying for even some of this cost.

Vacations

Not every child recovers and beats cancer. The Hayim Association funds holidays for families of children terminally ill children.

Caring for a child with a terminal illness can be a huge responsibility, not only physically and mentally but also financially. Many of these families are on a low income or benefits as they are forced to give up work to look after their sick or disabled child, and as such rarely, if ever, get the chance to enjoy a family holiday together. The goal of the holiday is to unite the family and to allow them final moments and experiences together. This allows for the children’s last precious memories to be ones of happiness and enjoyment before they become “angels”. The emotions and pain are those that cannot be expressed in words.

Allocations to Institutes

The Hayim Association supports the oncology departments in hospitals across Israel in order to promote the quality of medical service and care given to the sick children in those departments.

The Association funds medical personnel positions: doctors, nurses, social workers, psychologists, lab technicians and paramedical staff based on the needs of each department and based on the financial ability of the Association. The Hayim Association also supports the Israeli Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology vis-à-vis medical protocol in Israel and abroad in financing the funding of a Data Manager (to join the American Children's Oncology Group (COG), in financing ISPHO [1] conferences and professional Psychosocial forums designed to compare and evaluate treatment of children across Israel.

Representatives inside the hospitals

The association operates in all the medical centers nationwide, and is part of the oncology network in the departments. It is distinguished by its activity to identify actual needs at the individual and collective level and for matching projects that provide a satisfactory answer to the needs of children and their supporting surroundings.

Hayim Association