Title:Gift strengthens support for parents with cancer and their families

Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center announces the establishment of a new initiative designed to provide information and support services to parents with cancer. Thanks to a substantial gift from Elizabeth’s Smile, a cancer support organization co-founded by Nancy Hungerford, Georgetown Lombardi will develop an  Interventions for Managing Parenting and Cancer Team (IMPACT) and a signature program called Family Circle by Elizabeth’s Smile.

In the spirit of cura personalis, or care of the whole person,  IMPACT will convene leaders and harness clinical partnerships to organize and provide psychosocial support to parents with cancer, their caregivers, and children, from diagnosis through treatment and afterward. As part of IMPACT’s mission, it will also provide education and generate new knowledge on promoting quality of life during and after cancer care.

“My late husband, Nick, established Elizabeth’s Smile in 2022 during his ongoing battle with bone cancer. That same year, close to our daughter Elizabeth’s first birthday, Nick’s condition became terminal,” shares Hungerford. “Through Elizabeth’s Smile, we wanted to help children who were struggling with a parent’s diagnosis or going through the grief of losing a parent to cancer.” 

“I feel strongly about continuing Nick’s mission,” adds Hungerford. “It became apparent that the best way to do that was to partner with an established, trusted cancer center such as Georgetown Lombardi where Nick was once treated. Georgetown will continue to do the work of the foundation with integrity and maintain the essence of Nick’s original dream.”

Making an impact through collaboration and partnership

The Family Circle by Elizabeth’s Smile program will provide family-based behavioral health care by bringing together Georgetown Lombardi team members with expertise in child and family development, along with palliative care, behavioral oncology, child/adolescent psychiatry, and minority health and health disparities. 

Family Circle by Elizabeth’s Smile will also offer one-on-one and group support for families in such areas as communication skill-building, stress management, resiliency training, and holistic practices.  

The first step is a patient screening process that identifies parents with cancer who are receiving care through Georgetown Lombardi at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, and other networked facilities. Patients are then navigated to no-cost support services, both in-house and in the community.

“This form of support is timely and essential to strengthen the quality of life of parents going through treatment for cancer, and their families,” says Kenneth Tercyak, Ph.D., IMPACT’s director and co-leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Georgetown Lombardi. “Managing day-to-day life as a parent while simultaneously undergoing treatment for cancer is a major challenge. One of our goals with this program is to help ensure that every parent affected by cancer has the resources they need to support their and their children’s adjustment, during and after cancer treatment.”

“Programs like this one are part of what make Lombardi so exceptional,” adds Tercyak. 

Support when it matters most

Georgetown Lombardi Program Manager Marcelo Sleiman Jr. says Family Circle by Elizabeth’s Smile will provide psychosocial support to families as well as navigate them to resources in the community that could address their comprehensive care needs.

“In our area, there’s an immense need for a program like this. Many families are confronting daily hardships, and being a parent with cancer triples that burden. I’m proud to be part of a program that’s reaching families at a time when they need it most,” says Sleiman.

While Elizabeth’s Smile will now be led by Georgetown Lombardi, Hungerford says that she will remain a senior advisor, with hopes that her own daughter might one day also become involved in the program’s mission.

“Our shared focus is on the families who need help— emotionally, socially, and otherwise,” says Hungerford. “A childhood shouldn’t be lost just because a parent is going through a really difficult time so early in the child’s life.”

“I would love for Georgetown students who are interested in the fields of psychology, social work, medicine, or public health to become involved. That would be a wonderful way to remember Nick.”