Hyundai Hope On Wheels awarded a $100,000 Hyundai Impact Award Grant
Hyundai Hope On Wheels funds pediatric palliative care
For the eighth time, our partners at Hyundai Hope On Wheels have shown just how much they care about the kids battling cancer and blood disorders at Roswell Park. This summer, Hyundai Hope On Wheels awarded a $100,000 Hyundai Impact Award Grant to Kanwal Mallhi, MD, so she can start a program dedicated to palliative care specifically for pediatric patients and families.
“This grant is particularly important and dear to me as it will bring an important service to my patients, as well as others within our program,” said Dr. Mallhi at the event. Dr. Mallhi joined Roswell Park in 2023 as the Clinical Director of the Pediatric Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Program. She is passionate about the kids and families she sees every day at Roswell Park and has committed her career to helping them through this incredibly tough part of their lives. She went on to explain what palliative care means and why it’s so important to have this offering for our patients.
“Historically, palliative care was focused on providing end-of-life care,” she said — but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. “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.”
One of the families that has been touched by Dr. Mallhi’s care and is thrilled to see this growth for the pediatric program is the Benimoff family.
“Transplant life is not an easy road,” said Meghan Benimoff, mom to 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 who 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.”