Literature Review

Pediatric Concurrent Care Convening: A national conversation [Oct. 16, 10:00 – 11:30 MST]National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care; 8/26/26[Virtual] attendees will participate in a Q&A with Lisa Lindley, PhD, and Meaghann Weaver, MD, two experts on the current state of pediatric concurrent care. This national conversation will provide an overview of the current state of pediatric concurrent care and create an opportunity for participants to connect with colleagues from across the country, share experiences and challenges, and identify resources and supports that could help advance pediatric concurrent care in their states. [The convening is free, but there is a cap on attendance.]

Kendall Burrows Foundation works toward $1 million for pediatric care WMAR-2 ABC, Baltimore, MD; by Elsa M.; 9/20/26  The Kendall Burrows Foundation is encouraging Marylanders to make a difference in the lives of children and families facing serious medical challenges. Since 2015, the foundation has partnered with the Johns Hopkins Children's Center Harriet Lane Compassionate Care Program to help create supportive and healing environments for children receiving pediatric palliative care and for the families who care for them. ... This year, organizers are aiming to reach a significant milestone. The foundation reports that it has raised and donated $882,000 to date and hopes to surpass $1 million through continued community support.

Couple turned wedding into cancer fundraiser. How much did they raise? Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, OH; by Lauren Cohen; 9/26/26 ... Jon and Amber Kozesky got married at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Sept. 19, but the day meant much more to them than just exchanging vows. They set a goal to raise $100,000 for their pediatric cancer foundation, The Littlest Heroes, instead of accepting wedding gifts. The nonprofit provides financial and emotional support to families of kids receiving cancer treatment in Northeast Ohio. As of Sept. 23, the Fairview Park couple is about halfway to their goal. Numerous people have given pledges to donate, and companies across the nation are reaching out to help get to the goal.

[United Kingdom] Bristol Airport charity ride raises record £110,000 for Children’s Hospice South West TravelPRNews, Bristol, UK; by Sheryl Rivera; 9/15/26Bristol Airport has turned a two-day cycling challenge into its biggest charity fundraiser to date, with 38 employees and business partners raising £110,000 for Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW). The riders completed a 180-mile journey from Tenby in Pembrokeshire to Bristol Airport on September 10 and 11, covering a mix of roads, coastal sections, countryside and gravel tracks. ... The fundraising total also surpassed the event’s original aim and became the largest amount Bristol Airport says it has raised through a single charity event. ... While the main group was on the road, airport colleagues recreated the challenge inside the terminal by cycling the equivalent distance on exercise bikes in the departure lounge.Editor's Note: Creative. Community engagement. Enthusiasm. Successful. Read and be inspired.

Phoenix Home Care & Hospice expands Technology Assisted Waiver Services to Southeast Kansas The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO; Press Release; 9/15/26 Phoenix Home Care & Hospice has expanded its Technology Assisted Waiver services into six Southeast Kansas counties: Allen, Bourbon, Cherokee, Crawford, Labette and Neosho. ... Phoenix's Technology Assisted Waiver nurses provide individualized care based on each child's medical needs and plan of care. Services may include ventilator management, tracheostomy care, G-tube feedings, medication administration and management, IV therapy, total parenteral nutrition, routine blood draws and other skilled nursing services.

How Latine families navigate pediatric loss amid broken systems: A qualitative study with caregivers and providers using Liberation PsychologyAdvances in Nursing Science; by Patricia Buzelli, Tolu O Oyesanya, Angelli Aguilar, Rosa M Gonzalez-Guarda; 8/26This study explored the challenges and strengths shaping Latine families' experiences of pediatric loss in the United States context. Eighteen semistructured interviews with healthcare providers (n = 7) and bereaved Latine caregivers (n = 11) were carried out using an integrated qualitative descriptive and Liberation Psychology approach. Four themes emerged that are heavily shaped by individual and contextual factors: (1) Unsupportive and hegemonic systems, (2) caregiver and provider discordance regarding end-of-life care, (3) caregiver identity transcendence in the "natural distress of grief," and (4) supportive networks and their limitations. Results highlight sociocultural realities that inform needed structural, policy, and practice changes.

Alliance Pediatric e-Journal: How cultural or religious differences affect care The National Alliance for Care at Home; by the Alliance’s Pediatric Advisory Council; multiple issues, most recent August 2026 The Pediatric e-Journal is the world’s longest consistent pediatric palliative and hospice care publication, continuously published since 2002. ... Welcome to the 84th issue of our Pediatric e-Journal. The focus of this issue is on topics related to cultural or religious differences and how they affect pediatric hospice and palliative care. Cultural and religious differences are often deeply imbedded in the children, adolescents, and family members we serve, not to mention the professionals and volunteers who provide such services. In addition, they are the special province of chaplains and other clergy who help to provide pediatric hospice and palliative care.

Detroit teen’s cancer death sparks 5K walk and new Georgia diploma law hoodline, Detroit, MI; by Jerry McAllister; 8/16/26 A Detroit family walked the riverfront near their old neighborhood this week to honor a 15-year-old whose fight with a rare bone cancer ended in his death nearly two years ago but has since reshaped state law hundreds of miles away in Georgia. GaKobe Milton, who once lived in Detroit before his family relocated to Atlanta, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma at age 13 in 2022 and died on December 10, 2024, after a two-year battle with the disease. His mother, Kuleesha Milton, brought his memory back to the city he called home with a 5K walk at Alfred Brush Ford Park along the Detroit Riverfront. ... Georgia lawmakers signed the GaKobe Milton Act into law in his honor, and Governor Brian Kemp signed House Bill 1284 on May 5, according to the Georgia General Assembly. The law requires local school boards to petition the State Board of Education within 14 days for graduation requirement waivers, allowing schools to award diplomas to terminally ill students receiving end-of-life care, or posthumously if necessary. The act waives completion of all remaining high school graduation requirements for eligible terminally ill students.

Hospice of Michigan receives more than $20k in donations following Josh & Jase visit ABC-13, Grand Rapids, MI; by Mary Dupuis; 8/14/26 The viral social media duo Josh & Jase have helped raise more than $20,000 for Hospice of Michigan's statewide pediatric hospice program this summer. The fundraising campaign was launched in support of the Jo Elyn Nyman Pediatric Hospice Endowment Fund. ... Josh Cauldwell-Clarke and Jase Riley became famous on social media for their travel videos reacting to American food, culture and exciting experiences. ... During their time in Grand Rapids, Josh and Jase spent time with pediatric hospice patients and their families at Hospice of Michigan. After their social media post about the visit, more than 350 donations flooded in to Hospice of Michigan from across the country. 

Josh & Jase bring toys to Hospice of Michigan’s youngest patients, kick off special fundraiser MLive, Grand Rapids, MI; by Tanda Gmiter; 8/3/26 The British TikTok duo Josh & Jase are known for encouraging goodwill as they travel around our state. Last winter’s trek across Michigan saw their tour of Mel Trotter Ministries raise thousands of dollars for the shelter’s programs. This week, they invited their huge social media audience to see the good work being done by Hospice of Michigan, a non-profit that helps those near death - and their families. Josh & Jase visited some of the youngest patients and their families in what turned out to be an emotional day for the social media stars. “Today was one of those days that will stay with us forever,” they wrote on their Facebook account on Friday. ... The duo said they were impressed at how Hospice of Michigan’s staff can be there to support not just the patient, but entire families during what can be a very difficult and heartbreaking time.

[Canada] Listening to young people on childhood death: a youth-focused participatory approach to children's palliative and end-of-life research and policymaking Children & Society; by Sydney Campbell, Nika Rovensky, Ryan Kent, Lauren Delaney, Franco A. Carnevale, Mary Ellen Macdonald; 6/23/26 Conclusion: Our study is one of the first to investigate the perspectives of young people in Canada regarding children's palliative and end-of-life (P-EOL) care, and the first in Canada to employ a participatory approach with young people in research about childhood death and dying. ... To date, the lessons we have learned can help researchers from diverse contexts aiming to carry out similar projects related to children's P-EOL care, based in the belief that the only way to truly shift current practices that overlook young people's voices and engagements as meaningful is through continuous advocacy, development, and application of engagement practices in all matters affecting young people.

Poverty level affects end-of-life care in adolescent and young adult cancer patients  Cancer Therapy Advisor; by Liam Andrew DAvenport, MA; 7/24/26 Adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients from high-poverty neighborhoods face disparities in end-of-life (EoL) care, according to research published in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. AYA patients from high-poverty neighborhoods have more emergency department visits and hospitalizations, and less hospice use, than their low-poverty counterparts, study researchers reported. ... Eligible patients had been diagnosed with cancer and died between 12 and 39 years of age, and were enrolled in one of the participant health systems for more than 90 days prior to their death.