Dear Friends,

In July of 1991, the Pediatric Oncology Program was established at Stony Brook University Medical Center to expand the clinical services available to the children of Suffolk County, and to expand the cancer research activities already present at Stony Brook.

Over the years, as the number of children treated here increased, the services required to provide the best possible care needed to expand. The services have been, and continue to be offered by the hospital and the Pediatric Oncology program. We strive to provide the best individualized care available to children with cancer and their families, in a setting that is supportive and understanding. Our goal is to create an environment in which the children and their parents understand that we consider each and every child a member of our family. We believe that no child should have to leave Suffolk County in order to receive the very best in cancer care.

While Stony Brook University Medical Center has been generous with its support of the Pediatric Oncology Program, there is so much more we would like to accomplish in the areas of parent and family advocacy and in research. To achieve our goals, we all realized that support from the community in the form of donations of time and money would be needed. As a result, The Sunrise Fund, the brainchild of two dedicated mothers, was born a little over eight years ago as a not-for-profit fund, established to assist hospital programs, parent and family support activities, and research initiatives of the Pediatric Oncology Program of Stony Brook University Cancer Center.

The Sunrise Fund is unique in that it is both hospital and community based; we consider ourselves to be a community resource. In order for us to succeed, we need the support and input of those interested individuals in the community. Our goal is the same as yours: that no child should have to die from cancer. One day, this goal will be achieved. Locally, it will take the dedication and hard work of the staff of Stony Brook University Cancer Center and the support of countless individuals such as yourself who believe that there is nothing more precious than the life of a child.

Sincerely,

Robert I. Parker, M.D., FAAP

Professor and Vice Chair of Pediatrics for Academic Affairs
Director, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Director of Clinical Trials, Stony Brook University Cancer Center
Associate Director Stony Brook University Cancer Center
SUNY at Stony Brook PH: (631) 444-7720 FAX: (631) 444-7865
e-mail: robert.parker@stonybrook.edu