Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital at University Hospitals Case Medical Center announced today the creation of the Jennifer Ferchill Brain Tumor Center, established through a significant leadership gift from the John and Sharon Ferchill family. The hospital will honor the Ferchill family for their generosity and officially launch the Jennifer Ferchill Brain Tumor Center with a reception on July 17, 2007 at Rainbow.
“We lost our daughter, Jennifer, 25 years ago to a brain tumor,” said Cleveland-based real estate developer John J. Ferchill. “With this center dedicated to her memory, Jenny’s legacy will inspire hope for patients and their families for generations to come.”
Brain tumors are the most common form of pediatric cancer, and despite advances in recent years, brain tumors have surpassed leukemia as the leading cause of cancer death in children.
Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital is devoted to conquering brain tumors in children. The treatment for brain tumors is complex, requiring specialized and personalized care.
“While the Jennifer Ferchill Brain Tumor Center will accomplish many goals in diagnosis, treatment and research, its mission will be singular: to help patients recover and grow into happy, healthy adults,” said Fred C. Rothstein, MD, president, University Hospitals Case Medical Center. “The Ferchills’ dedication to and support of this mission with a leadership gift is deeply appreciated.”
Combined expertise
Rainbow leads the state of Ohio in surgical outcomes for treating brain and spine tumors, and is the #1 children’s hospital in the Midwest. Rainbow’s comprehensive pediatric cancer center – part of University Hospitals Ireland Cancer Center, a Comprehensive Cancer Center designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) – offers the most promising new treatments for children.
The Jennifer Ferchill Brain Tumor Center will combine Rainbow’s expertise in pediatric cancer and neurological care, and will be led by two preeminent physician-scientists. Alan R. Cohen, MD, Rainbow’s Surgeon-in-Chief, Chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery and Director of the Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery program and John J. Letterio, MD, Chief of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Rainbow will co-direct the brain tumor center.
“Our goal in establishing this new Ferchill Brain Tumor Center is to improve the lives of our patients and their families and ultimately to find the cure for pediatric brain cancer,” said Dr. Cohen. “Rainbow has unparalleled expertise in its medical and surgical specialties that will enable us to become a destination center for pediatric brain tumors. We are grateful to the Ferchill family for their generosity in providing the resources that will bring the best treatments and latest advances from the laboratory to the bedside to help save the lives of children from Ohio and around the world.”
The Jennifer Ferchill Brain Tumor Center will house a specialized brain tumor clinic for diagnosis, treatment and clinical decision-making, along with fully-equipped laboratory space for basic and clinical research. The new center addresses two key priorities for University Hospitals Vision 2010 strategic plan as it combines the expertise of our health care flagships—Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and Ireland Cancer Center.
“The brain tumor center is the means for a dedicated team at Rainbow to give patients and families every advantage toward full recovery from brain tumors,” said Dr. Letterio. “We will offer a powerhouse of compassionate, sophisticated care tailored to the needs of pediatric patients and their families”
Bringing the newest treatments to children
Establishing the Jennifer Ferchill Brain Tumor Center will accelerate Rainbow’s membership in the NCI Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium, a network of leading medical centers that evaluate promising new treatments for children with brain malignancies. The consortium currently includes no Ohio members.
The center will also expand Rainbow’s membership in the NCI Phase I clinical trials consortium to include pediatric patients. Rainbow’s membership in this program would allow pediatric patients in phase I clinical trials to receive unparalleled care close to their home and family.
“We are so pleased to make this contribution to the great work being done at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, and we encourage others to join with us in supporting these efforts and to further the momentum in helping the Rainbow team conquer pediatric brain cancer,” said Sharon Ferchill.
About the Ferchill Family
John J. Ferchill is the Chairman and CEO of The Ferchill Group (TFG), a diversified real estate development and management firm headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and active throughout the Midwest. Since inception, TFG has completed or placed under development approximately $1.0 billion in real estate projects. John and his wife, Sharon D. Ferchill, reside in Rocky River. They have four children: Melissa M. Ferchill Swingos, Meredith M. Ferchill Kempton, Jennifer Marie Ferchill (deceased), and J. Christopher Ferchill. Melissa is married to Nicholas Swingos, and she is President of MCM Company, Inc., a property development and general contracting firm, which she founded in 1992. She is also Chairman of The Jennifer Ferchill Foundation. Meredith is married to David D. Kempton. She serves on the board of Cornerstone of Hope, a grief counseling organization, and is Co-President of the Jennifer Ferchill Foundation. J. Christopher “Chris” Ferchill is the Director of Retail Leasing for TFG, and is primarily responsible for attracting retail tenants to various Ferchill Group developments. His wife, Donna, is Co-President of The Jennifer Ferchill Foundation. Jennifer “Jenny” was born in 1972 and died at age 9 from a rare brain cancer.
Posted on Monday, July 16, 2007 (Archive on Sunday, September 16, 2007)