We support your family’s mental and emotional health. Whether you or your child is in treatment, finishing treatment or in survivorship, we're here to help your family adjust, connect and heal. Our team members include:

• Chaplains
  • Chaplains provide spiritual and emotional support for patients and families of all faith traditions. They are helpful even for families who do not have a faith tradition by assisting families during hospital stays.
• Child Life Specialists
  • Child life specialists teach healthy coping skills for patients and their families, including the siblings or children of patients to build understanding and preparation for medical procedures.
• Creative Arts Therapists
  • Expressive Therapies are an inpatient service. They address the mental health needs of patients related to being in the hospital. They help patients using art, music and dance and movement during a therapy session.
• Hospital-Based School Teachers
  • Hospital-based teachers do bedside teaching for grade school through high school level patients. They work with your child’s school teacher to keep them on track.
• Navigators
  • Navigators support patients and families by finding resources within their community. They work to improve the health of patients and families by supporting connections to organizations, community partners and community based healthcare.
• Psychologists
  • Psychologists provide supportive counseling and teach families ways to cope with treatment-related distress. They also do tests to assess patients’ learning, emotions and behaviors. All of these areas may be affected by treatment.
• Recreation Therapist
  • Recreational Therapists use many activities to address body, mind, social and emotional needs. They may do this one-on-one or in group sessions. Learning about new hobbies and resources can help create new interests during and after treatment. Sometimes adapting a patient’s interests can help as well.
• Social Workers
  • Social workers meet with patients and families to assess needs and connect them to community resources. A social worker can help with a range of social, emotional, financial and practical needs related to the cancer diagnosis and treatment including work, school, insurance, transportation and advance care planning.

You will meet many team members throughout your treatment. If you need support or are interested in connecting with a specific member, please ask your primary treatment team to place a referral.

We have several groups and programs for the different stages of the cancer and bone marrow transplant experience.

Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Program

Teens and young adults with cancer often face challenges that younger children don't. They may be thinking about school, work, dating or starting a family. Our AYA Cancer Program supports patients ages 15 to 39 with care that fits their age and specific needs.

We offer help with:

• Clinical Trial education
• Education and career planning
• Fertility preservation counseling
• Navigating the healthcare system
• Relationships and mental health
• Support and AYA specific resources
• Long-term health and lifestyle choices

Contact aya@mcw.edu to seek support or for more information check out our website.

Events & Meet Ups for Patients, Siblings and Families

We recognize that patients, siblings and families need outlets outside of the hospital setting to meet others who are going through similar experiences. With the help of our donors, we provide a variety of events throughout the year to support these connections. These events range from teen events, sibling days, family celebration day and more.

To learn about these events and stay up to date, check out the MACC Fund Center Facebook Page.

Young Adult Oncology Group

This social group is for young adults ages 18 to 39 who are living with or beyond cancer. You can join whether you got care at Children's Wisconsin or somewhere else. It's a place to meet people, share experiences and have fun together. Events are held monthly and are free of cost.

Past events have included:

• Hikes
• Art nights
• Cooking classes
• Bucks and Brewers games
• Game nights and more

Contact aya@mcw.edu to join or for more information check out our website.