Hyundai Hope On Wheels Gives $250,000 Research Grant

Last week, Hyundai Hope on Wheels and Palo Alto-area Hyundai dealers awarded Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital with a $250,000 Hope Grant to support groundbreaking childhood cancer research and therapies. Packard Children’s was one of 41 recipients in the month-long program in honor of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

“At age 14, I lost my leg to the cancer itself. But that didn’t end my life,” 24-year-old Juan Carlos Hernandez said at the check presentation ceremony. Looking on to his family he continued, “I’m now a happy parent, and I thank the research that Lucile Packard has been doing. And I want to especially thank Hyundai for their donation.”

Since 2004, Hyundai Hope On Wheels has given a total of $680,000 to help Packard Children’s patients and families like Juan Carlos. To improve the odds in the fight for a cure, Hope On Wheels raised its Hyundai Hope Grant award amount this year from $100,000 to $250,000.

“I’d like to thank Hyundai for their support to Packard Children’s Hospital for the last several years,” said Neyssa M. Marina, MD, who has been treating Juan Carlos for the past 10 years. “Since 2009, Hyundai has provided $680,000 in research money to our division which has greatly helped the Bass Center advance its mission and helped us provide better care to all our patients.”

The funding will facilitate E. Alejandro Sweet-Cordero, MD’s important research to establish a multifaceted program focused on basic, translational, and clinical studies of Ewing’s sarcoma. This year’s donation brings the total amount that the nonprofit has committed to childhood cancer research to $57 million since it first began in 1998.

“At Hyundai, our goal is for a child to never again have to hear the words ‘you have cancer’,” said John Krafcik, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor America. “Through the support of our dealers, hospital partners, and online community, this goal is attainable as we join together for a cure. We congratulate and commend each institution for their important and life-changing work, and thank our supporters for their continued efforts.”

Packard Children’s is grateful to Hyundai Hope On Wheels for their generous contribution to childhood cancer research. As the hospital continues to grow, philanthropic support is ever more critical in enabling the hospital to provide world-class care to our Bay Area community and beyond.