Teed Off at Cancer Makes a Difference

When families receive the unexpected news that their child requires hospitalization, their lives and routines are quickly turned upside down. Spending days, weeks, and months in the hospital causes a loss of normalcy for patients and their families, but The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio strives to make the experience as comfortable as possible.

Jana and Tom “T-Bone” Bounds developed their organization, Teed Off at Cancer, to help improve the quality of life for families with children who have been diagnosed with cancer and are receiving treatment at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio.

“We know what it’s like to spend weeks in a hospital, so we strive to do everything we can to help make the experience less painful by providing a sense of comfort,” Jana said. “After the shock of the initial diagnosis, cancer becomes your life and your full-time job. Unfortunately, we can’t change the devastation of the diagnosis, but we value the opportunity to provide simple day-to-day necessities for patients and their families.”

Teed Off at Cancer provides H.O.P.E. (Helping Others Persevere Everyday) bags  to newly admitted families in the pediatric oncology unit. The bags are designed to meet the basic needs of a family. Some of the items included are soap, shampoo, razors, toothpaste, blankets, entertainment items, a gas gift card, and a grocery store gift card.

“In the times that I have interacted with patients and their families, they have expressed that it is not necessarily the contents of the bag that have an impact on them, but it’s the comfort of knowing that they are not alone and that someone cares enough to offer a helping hand,” Tom added. “If this contribution makes their circumstance a little easier to manage, then we have achieved our goal.”

In addition to distributing H.O.P.E. bags, Teed Off at Cancer has donated televisions, laptops, video gaming systems, mobile phones, and more to The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio. Recently, they purchased a new blood count machine for the oncology unit and helped fund a playground for patients to enjoy. Teed Off at Cancer also hosts an annual golf tournament preceded by a casino night. These events grow in attendance every year and proceeds benefit The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio.

“Teed Off at Cancer helps alleviate the stress that our patients and their families experience while undergoing treatment,” said Sal McKeel, director of the hematology and oncology program at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio. “Our staff has built great relationships with T-Bone and Jana over the years. We view them as a valued part of our team because, through Teed Off at Cancer, they provide hope and joy for our patients.”

This year, at Teed Off at Cancer’s Annual Toy Drive, guests donated hundreds of toys to help bring joy to our patients this holiday season. In addition to the toys, Teed Off at Cancer presented a check for $180,000 to benefit kids at The Children’s Hospital of San Antonio!

Thank you for all that you do, Teed Off at Cancer!