New York Medical College (NYMC) has been awarded a $400,000 Hyundai Hope Scholar Grant from Hyundai Hope on Wheels. Representatives of Hyundai and NYMC along with patients and families took part in an award ceremony at the school’s campus in Valhalla. The grant will help support ongoing efforts spearheaded by NYMC’s associate professor of pediatrics Dr. Jeremy Rosenblum.
“I am honored to receive this award, which will allow us to advance our research and explore new ways to treating osteosarcoma, and bring us closer to a cure for patients for whom current treatments do not work,” said Rosenblum. “I’m grateful to my patients and families, some of whom are here with me today, for being a part of their cancer journeys. The way that you carry yourselves, with hope and strength, while enduring the unimaginable, inspires me to do the work that I do, and only makes me wish I can do more for my patients.”
Hyundai Hope of Wheels was launched in 1998. Its primary funding comes from Hyundai Motor America and its more than 850 U.S. dealers. As of this year it has donated $277 million in support of more than 1,400 childhood cancer research grants at more than 175 hospitals and research institutions.
During the event at NYMC, children impacted by cancer placed their painted handprints on a Hyundai vehicle, symbolizing their fight against the disease and hope for a cure.
“The work that Dr. Rosenblum is going to undertake is a critical translational project,” said Dr. Mitchell S. Cairo, a professor at NYMC and vice chair of pediatrics. “We are honored that Hyundai sees Dr. Rosenblum’s project as a scholarly approach and we’re grateful for all of the support we’ve had over the years from Hyundai.”
Attending the event was one of Rosenblum’s patients, Andrew Stephens, who now is 21. He was diagnosed in 2015 at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital with stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma.
“This is the most incredible miracle I’ve witnessed in my life,” Stephens said. “When I returned to the hospital [after relapsing], Dr. Rosenblum was ready with a trial treatment that I was the first person to try. It’s the reason why I’m still here, five years later. I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me, my family and this hospital.”
In a video message played at the event, Dr. Edward C. Halperin, chancellor and CEO of NYMC who is also a pediatric radiation oncologist, said, ”We cannot philosophically explain why evil befalls the innocent, but we can do something about it, including conducting research to make tomorrow better than today.”
The executive director of Hyundai Hope of Wheels, John Guastaferro, said, “Hyundai Hope on Wheels is honored to support esteemed hospitals and institutions such as the New York Medical College to fund research that fosters innovation and medical advancements for pediatric cancer patients. We are grateful for the unwavering dedication and life-saving efforts that will bring us closer to a world without childhood cancer.”
