A visit to the emergency department or stay at a hospital can be an anxious time for pediatric patients and their families.
The Marisa Tufaro Foundation is helping to alleviate such stress through a generous donation to Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center in Edison.
The nonprofit donated a new portable Starlight Nintendo gaming station that can be rolled anywhere in the hospital, four new iPads with protective cases, more than 700 new children’s books for patients to read and keep, and two new multi-device courtesy charging stations for parents to charge their phones and tablets.
In addition, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation made a generous financial contribution to Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center Foundation’s Patient Assistance Fund, which will help families of JFK University Medical Center’s pediatric patients cover out-of-pocket personal or medical expenses.
Optimized for flexible use in a health care setting, the durable gaming unit is specially designed for longevity, sanitation, and ease-of-use. The station comes preloaded with more than two dozen video games.
The gaming station and iPads can be utilized in the pediatric emergency department or in the rooms of admitted patients, helping to provide positive engagement and ease the caregiver burden. Both will provide visual and auditory stimulation through virtual programming and activities that can help patients cope with anxiety and distract them from pain that can sometimes accompany a hospital visit or stay.
The announcement of the foundation’s gifts comes on the anniversary of Marisa Tufaro’s untimely passing, and a little more than a month after the nonprofit bearing her name donated hundreds of new toys to the medical center.
The donated toys will meet the needs of inpatients and visitors to the hospital’s pediatric emergency department, who can benefit from a diversion during treatments, medical procedures, and extended admissions.
Born with a complex cardiac defect, Marisa Tufaro survived six open-heart surgeries and a heart transplant before succumbing in 2017 to a rare form of cancer following a valiant battle. She was just 13 years old.
Despite being hospitalized for more than two years and maintaining hundreds of doctors’ appointments, Marisa Tufaro was an Edison Township Public Schools honor roll student involved in myriad extracurricular activities who lived a vibrant life that inspired.
“We are grateful to have the opportunity to honor Marisa’s loving memory by supporting a community hospital in our own backyard that, incredibly, assisted more than 23,000 patients in its pediatric emergency department last year alone,” said Cyndi and Greg Tufaro, who established The Marisa Tufaro Foundation to keep alive their daughter’s indomitable spirit and allow her legacy to be one of helping others.
Since its inception six and a half years ago, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has donated more than $300,000 to assist pediatric patients and other children in need throughout the greater Middlesex County area.
The nonprofit has also donated thousands of toys, nonperishable food items, winter jackets, baby supplies, school supplies, and other items upon which it has placed no monetary value.
In addition, The Marisa Tufaro Foundation has awarded $29,500 in academic scholarships to exceptional Middlesex County high school seniors who support the nonprofit’s mission through community service and volunteerism.
Many of the children The Marisa Tufaro Foundation assists, along with families who have supported the nonprofit, have benefited from JFK University Medical Center’s pediatric services.
Services for children and adults include the globally recognized JFK Neuroscience Institute and Hackensack Meridian JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute, which U.S. News & World Report has ranked among the nation’s best rehabilitation hospitals. The medical center has also earned national recognition for its labor and delivery services.
With one of the largest teams of neurological specialists in the tristate area, fellowship-trained clinicians using state-of-the-art technology at the JFK Neuroscience Institute diagnose and treat brain, spine, and nervous system disorders in children and adults, providing the highest quality of care.
The pediatric rehabilitation team at the JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute has been serving children from birth to adolescence for nearly five decades. As one of the largest outpatient facilities of its kind for children in the area, the team focuses on facilitating a child’s functional skills in all developmental areas including movement, cognition, communication, social-emotional health, and adaptive behavior.
The hospital’s Pediatric Emergency Department features 15 private beds and a spacious and efficient Patient Arrival Center. Patients have fast access to a team of specialists trained in emergency medicine who provide streamlined care.
JFK University Medical Center’s new pediatric subspecialty practice provides specialized care in the areas of genetics, rheumatology, hematology, nephrology, endocrinology, pulmonology, and adolescent medicine. The team works in close coordination with the hospital’s pediatric emergency clinicians and area pediatricians.
JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute also offers outpatient therapy services for children including Early Intervention and You and Me Autism programs.