An Interview with:

Connie Nicolosi, LCSW

Clinical Social Worker
Pediatric Oncology
Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital

What’s the most rewarding part of this job for you?

The most rewarding aspect is to see our patients 10-15 years later cancer free and healthy. I tell parents that this experience will be a small blip in their life. One time I was on the elevator and a nurse was smiling at me. I didn’t recognize her. And then I looked at her name tag and realized that she was one of our patients from 15 years ago who had leukemia. She was ten years old at the time. Now she is a nurse working at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Recently, I ran into some parents in the atrium of the hospital. Their son was treated at Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital for cancer. He had to put off college because of his treatments and they weren’t sure if he could ever go back. His parents told me that he just received his MBA! They really grow up and life goes on. The children have proven that even if you have cancer, it does not stop you from your goals.

Do you have any example of where the Tommy Fund has helped one of these children of cancer?I have many examples where the Tommy Fund has helped these children and their families:

• We have had children going back to school after months and years of treatment. Parents often stop working to take care of their children when they are diagnosed and have very little money. The Tommy Fund has provided gift cards to the mall for them to spend on new school clothes. A $200 gift card doesn’t go too far but it is the moral booster to the patients that is the success here.
• There have been patients who have been discouraged about returning to school due to hair loss. The Tommy Fund has provided numerous funds for different patients to obtain a wig. Many times with teens it is how they look that gives them confidence. The Tommy Fund helps to restore that confidence when they return to school.
• There are side effects of chemotherapy treatment which many people do not realize, one being hearing loss. The Tommy Fund has helped to defray the cost of hearing aids which an insurance company may not cover completely.
• Many families go from two incomes to one income or one income to no income. The Tommy Fund has eased the financial burden by paying a mortgage or utility bill to get them through this time.
• Childhood cancer impacts the entire family. Think about the parking issue alone. If you come here once a week for 3-4 years, that is quite a bit of money. Parents will sacrifice everything just to make sure their children get proper care for their sick child. Eviction from their homes and apartments is a real possibility. We try and take some of the stress out of this difficult experience.

If you had one message to deliver to those considering donating to the Tommy Fund to help your children, what would that be?

To be with a family when they are told their child has cancer is heart wrenching. Families do what they need to do to get through this time in their lives. They watch their children go through painful procedures, deal with the side effects of treatment and worry about siblings at home and meeting their needs. The Tommy Fund steps in and eases burdens not considered initially. The families have no choice! It is my hope that people will chose the Tommy Fund in their charitable giving.