This is the philanthropy website for St. Luke's and Roosevelt Hospitals. St. Luke's and Roosevelt Hospitals are part of Continuum Health Partners.
Donor Stories
Fuad Sawaya Continues Work of Helen Sawaya Fund to Create Top Notch Complementary Cancer Care Program
Recognized by Cancer Survivor and Seven Time Tour de France Champion Lance Armstrong
The Helen Sawaya Fund supports many complementary therapies at Roosevelt Hospital, including a music therapy program where certified music therapists help patients express their feelings through music. Thanks to the Fund, the program was able to buy a variety of instruments, including guitars, keyboards, and percussion instruments.
Since 2005, hundreds of cancer patients have received special therapies to increase their comfort and enhance their state of mind during treatment. Under the leadership of Gabiel Sara, MD, Executive Director of the Patient Services initiative at the Continuum Cancer Centers of New York, St Luke’s Roosevelt, the Fund has allowed patients to enjoy a wide array of benefits—from massage to music therapy. Recently, Lance Armstrong visited Roosevelt Hospital because he wanted to see a top notch complementary therapy program in action.
“Even patients who are not musicians will start playing an instrument, and it takes their minds off the chemotherapy and the side effects,” Dr. Sara noted, adding that the hospital is currently running a study comparing patients who receive chemotherapy with and without music therapy. Now, thanks to a generous donation of $150,000 from Fuad Sawaya, Roosevelt’s cancer patients will be able to receive this exceptional care for a long time to come.
“Our goal is to improve the patient’s quality of life by taking their attention away from what doesn’t make them feel well, the cancer and the cancer treatment and its side effects,” said Dr. Sara. “And it’s not just the patients who love it. The nurses and doctors see the benefits the patients are experiencing, and they feel good about it, too.”
“When Dr. Sara first came up with the idea for the Fund, I thought it was a brilliant idea. Little things can make such a big difference, especially when you’re being treated for cancer,” Mr. Sawaya said. “Helen was a very giving person. Even during her illness, she helped to make a difference in people’s lives, and that’s what the Helen Sawaya Fund is doing now.”
Since its inception in 2005, the Helen Sawaya Fund has served as the backbone to the Patients Services Initiative, a program that provides patients with a variety of complementary therapies to help ease their cancer treatment. Today, six years later, the program continues to grow steadily, thanks to the enthusiastic efforts of its team and the generosity of our donors such as Mr. Sawaya.
Another complementary therapy offered at Roosevelt is the Artist-in-Residence Program, in which patients engage in handson visual arts while receiving chemotherapy. A variety of art supplies are available, and a professionally trained artist guides the patient.
“The art program creates an incredibly warm and loving atmosphere. I’ve seen grandmothers sitting there for several hours, making things for their grandchildren,” Dr. Sara said. “One couple asked to stay longer after the chemotherapy session was over because they were having so much fun.”
The hospital also offers a travel program, in which patients enter a raffle for a chance to win either a cruise or a weekend at a Massachusetts B&B. “The goal of this program is to help patients dream about the future while they are on chemotherapy,” Dr. Sara said. “When you’re thinking about an upcoming trip, you have something to look forward to while you’re getting treatment.”
In addition to purchasing massage chairs for the radiation therapy areas, the Helen Sawaya Fund also supports a massage therapist who performs hand massages for patients. “I don’t know her secret, but patients feel on cloud nine when she comes over,” Dr. Sara said.
Dr. Sara is dedicated to finding more ways to help ease the burdens of cancer patients. In the future, he hopes to add reiki therapy, yoga, guided imagery, and other complementary therapies to the program.
“I’ve been very impressed with everything that Dr. Sara has been able to accomplish over the last five years,” Mr. Sawaya said. “It’s wonderful that the Helen Sawaya Fund has been able to help improve the quality of life for so many cancer patients, and I know Helen would have appreciated that.”