Tampa General Hospital Awarded Hyundai Hope On Wheels Grants

The Hyundai Hope On Wheels grants will help fund innovative research and programmatic needs for pediatric oncology patients within Tampa General Hospital.

Tampa, FL (August 8, 2023) – Tampa General Hospital (TGH) announced a combined $200,000 impact grant and regional grant from Hyundai Hope On Wheels to support the academic health system’s pediatric oncology program in the fight against childhood cancer. These grants were awarded today during a check presentation at TGH. The event was attended by patients, physicians and members of the Tampa Bay Lightning, including Andrei Vasilevskiy and Mikhail Sergachev.

The funds donated by Hyundai Hope on Wheels will allow the TGH Children’s Hospital to purchase interactive MRI equipment for its pediatric oncology patients, including MRI movie goggles and a projection system. These combined assets will alleviate stress, fear and anxiety in children who need to undergo important scans and will make capturing these images more effective and efficient.

Additionally, the grant will help to offset the cost of fertility preservation for families of pediatric oncology patients. Receiving certain treatments of chemotherapy and radiation may impact a child’s reproductive system and lead to infertility in the future. TGH pediatric oncology patients and their families can now have peace of mind about their futures through these preservation treatments.

“On behalf of TGH Children’s Hospital and the TGH Cancer Institute, we are so grateful and excited for this support from Hyundai Hope On Wheels,” said Dr. Andrew Galligan, assistant professor and interim director of the Division of Hematology and Oncology in the Department of Pediatrics in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. “Thank you to this amazing organization for helping to make treatment and futures a bit brighter for the children, young adults and families we serve. We appreciate all you do to impact pediatric cancer across the nation.”

Immediately following today’s check presentation, pediatric cancer patients who have received treatment at the TGH Children’s Hospital dipped their hands in colorful paint and placed their handprints on a white Hyundai vehicle — the Hope On Wheels hero vehicle — to commemorate their brave battles with cancer.

“We are incredibly humbled and grateful to be recipients of the Hyundai Hope On Wheels grant,” said Frann M. Leppla, Tampa General Hospital Foundation’s senior vice president and chief philanthropy officer. “This support allows us to fund innovative initiatives that will make significant differences in the lives of our pediatric oncology patients.”