Tyler James Volenec was diagnosed with Acute Mylogenous Leukemia (AML) in September of 1998 at the age of two. He dealt with the many challenges created by the disease with courage and a firm resolve to live each day of life to the fullest. After battling the disease for five months, Tyler passed away in February of 1999.
A life-threatening disease such as leukemia creates many personal and professional challenges for patients and their families. Megan and James Volenec, Tyler's parents, dealt with many of theses challenges firsthand, and interacted with other families dealing with similar situations. Their collective experiences led them to identify unanswered needs of patients and families battling leukemia and other forms of pediatric cancer:
- the kids miss out on some of the fun activities of being a kid, such as school parties, because they are in the hospital
- families often run into financial difficulties because one parent must quit their job to care for the child and transport the child to and from the hospital
As a result, Megan and James founded the Tyler Volenec Foundation to help address this unanswered need.
The foundation provides assistance to patients and their families throughout the metropolitan Chicago area. Children's Memorial Hospital (CMH), a leading pediatric cancer treatment facility located in Chicago, IL, provided a large majority of Tyler's healthcare. CMH and Tyler's Touch have developed a close working relationship. In addition to grants to individual families, the foundation will also direct resources to CMH for a variety of purposes with one goal: increasing the quality of life for patients and their families. Currently, the foundation has provided resources for a number of initiatives including:
- Distributing holiday gifts to patients at Children's Memorial Hospital
- Providing monetary assistance to families for payment of recurring expenses and health-care costs
- Holding a Valentine's Day Party for patients in the out-patient clinic of Children's Memorial Hospital
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