Foundation Supports Families at the Abramson Cancer Center

It all started with an air mattress.

When Paul Nardoni was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma at the age of 27, he and his family saw a unique need.

During his stays at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center, Paul witnessed first hand the unparalleled care and attention that is given to a cancer patient. He noticed that their families, including his own, often spent the night sleeping in an uncomfortable chair or a makeshift bed. He discovered that there were no diversions for patients, or their families, during the long and sometimes arduous chemotherapy sessions. Paul longed to remedy those circumstances - for his own family and for the families of all patients. This became the basis of the Paul R. Nardoni Foundation’s mission.

“At the time there were no couches that turned into beds, or room for family members to sleep comfortably in the room,” remembers his mother, Roseann.

About Paul Nardoni

Paul was an executive chef for Holland America Cruise Lines and was working on the Wind Star cruise ship when he became ill and had to return home to New Jersey. Paul was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in the fall of 1996.

As his disease progressed, Paul was able to stay active with the help of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Despite frequent hospitalizations, Paul never gave up. And he made sure his family didn’t either.

Paul passed away in 2001 after his 5-year-long battle. But today, his legacy lives on.

The Paul R. Nardoni Foundation

The Nardoni family was inspired to create a unique patient experience for patients and their families at the Abramson Cancer Center. They raised some money to purchase air mattresses for the patient floor so that family members could spend the night with their loved ones.

Then came the videos.

“We’d stop at Blockbuster on the way to the Abramson Cancer Center to pick up videos,” recalls his mother, Roseann. “We thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if there was a video library for patients right here on the patient floor?’ and that is really how our foundation began.“

“As time went on, and needs changes, we established a special needs fund for people who need assistance with things like groceries, utility bills and childcare,” says Roseann.

Today, the Paul R. Nardoni Foundation provides support for families’ needs and wants through a “Carpe Diem Find” that supports patients who need assistance with paying their bills, getting childcare, or even “fun” activities such as attending a Phillies baseball game, or getting family portraits.

The Foundation has no paid staff and all work is performed by volunteers. Almost all events are supported by generous donations enabling the Foundation to keep its cost down around 4 percent. Therefore, 96 percent of every dollar you contribute goes directly to cancer patients and their families.

Since the foundation was founded, it has provided funding to establish programs that provide comfort and aid to cancer patients and their families at Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, and other area hospitals and cancer centers.

“We want to help the patient, and the whole family,” says Roseann. “And I am sure that if Paul was here to see what we are doing today, he’d be thrilled.”

Roseann adds: “Nothing can take away the feeling of loss when you lose a child, but knowing we are helping others with this foundation helps.”

Learn more about the Paul R. Nardoni Foundation

To learn more about the Paul Nardoni Foundation, and to find out how you can make a donation to help others undergoing cancer treatment, visit www.prnfoundation.org.

Help Families at the Abramson Cancer Center

The Abramson Cancer Center is grateful to the Paul R. Nardoni Foundation and other foundations who directly support our patients in need including Bringing Hope Home, Stomp the Monster, The Mary Anne Mazanec Ovarian Cancer Foundation, Sandy Rollman Foundation, Starr Foundation, Fox’s Fight, and Peggy Spiegler Melanoma Research Foundation, just to name just a few.

The Abramson Cancer Center also has a Patient Special Needs Fund to help provide support to patients and families facing financial hardship as a result of diagnosis. We are grateful to the many individual friends and organizations that directly support this fund. Please consider making a gift and easing the burden of cancer for our patients and families with a donation.