Michael Hoefflin Foundation officials are helping to fight brain cancer by donating thousands of dollars to the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Imagine the devastation of hearing your child has brain cancer. Brain cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death in children in North America.

It is the second most common type of childhood cancer, accounting for approximately 25 percent of all types, and occurring at a rate of three to four cases per 100,000 children. Childhood brain tumors are the second leading cause of death among pediatric oncology patients.

To date, only a handful of medical centers have sufficient resources and patient numbers to be able to provide the highly specialized training for academic pediatric neuro-oncologists.

The Michael Hoefflin Foundation Fellowship in Neuro-Oncology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles fills a critical need by addressing the dearth of these specialists in the United States.

Since the MHF Fellowship program began in 2004, 11 Neuro-Oncology Fellows have been trained with more than $500,000 in funding from the Foundation.

MHF recently delivered the second $40,000 for the current Fellowship. Fundraising has begun for the 2015/2016 Fellowship that commences later this year.

“We originally established the Fellowship in Neuro-Oncology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to continue Dr. Jonathan Finlay’s specialized training of early-career physician scientists,” Chris Hoefflin, MHF founder and board member, noted. “We are so grateful to be able to work in conjunction with Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, a world-renowned hospital for pediatric medicine, to try to find an end to brain cancer in children.”

The year long training period spans from July 1 to June 30 each year, and started with the 2004/2005 Fellowship.

Throughout the year, the Foundation helps families facing pediatric cancer in many ways, including providing gas and grocery assistance, support group meetings, and family outings — aid crucial to families dealing with the emotional and unexpected financial burden of cancer.

The Michael Hoefflin Foundation for children’s cancer is a public non-profit 501ce foundation serving children and families touched by pediatric cancer in the Santa Clarita and surrounding valleys. For more information please contact us at (661) 250-4100 or go to www.MHF.org.