The Isabella Santos Foundation has raised and donated $30,000 to Nationwide Children’s Hospital to honor the memory of their daughter, Isabella, and to advance pediatric cancer research.

“We are very grateful to the Isabella Santos Foundation for their generosity and dedication to supporting the research that is so important to so many of our families,” said Steve Testa, senior vice president and executive director of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Foundation. “This gift helps us continue to discover new ways to deliver the best possible care to our patients, who come to Nationwide Children’s from across the country and around the globe.”

This generous gift was raised during a silent auction at the Isabella Santos Foundation’s inaugural Ohio chapter event, “Cocktails for a Cure,” in August. Attendees gathered to learn about pediatric cancer research, treatments and programs that impact local children in the central Ohio community. All of the proceeds from the event benefitted neuroblastoma research at Nationwide Children’s.

“We are thrilled to have expanded our organization into Ohio and Nationwide Children’s,” said Erin Santos, president of the Isabella Santos Foundation and Isabella’s mom. “This event was part of our one million dollar goal this year, and next year we look forward to doubling our impact and moving the needle forward on pediatric cancer research, honoring Isabella the entire way.”

The second annual Columbus event will be held in May 2018.

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The Isabella Santos Foundation is a tax-deductible 501 (c) 3 that was created in honor of Isabella Santos, who fought Neuroblastoma for over 5 years. The goal of the Foundation is to raise money and awareness for Neuroblastoma research, provide financial assistance to families with children who are suffering from cancer as well as provide financial support for organizations that support children with cancer.

Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2017-18 list of “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit freestanding pediatric healthcare systems providing wellness, preventive, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitative care for infants, children and adolescents, as well as adult patients with congenital disease. Nationwide Children’s has a staff of nearly 13,000 providing state-of-the-art pediatric care during more than 1.4 million patient visits annually. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded freestanding pediatric research facilities. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org.