The UA Steele Center received a $125,000 donation from the Arizona Elks Major Projects.  

This donation is part of the Arizona Elks' commitment to raise $2.5 million for the Steele Center over the next 10 years. Read more | AZ Star article

On Dec. 17, Santa and his elves visited Diamond Children's, and brought holiday cheer to patients, families and staff. Patients met Santa and had fun decorating cookies, ornaments and stockings. In addition, they enjoyed watching "Polar Express" listening to Christmas music, riding in a horse-drawn carriage and petting miniature horses Snickers and Mosey! Special thanks and gratitude to Rackel Gehlsen, owner of Rackel Gehlsen Wedding & Events, and many other volunteers and vendors who donated their time, talents, services and products. See photos 

Kids of Steele raised approximately $64,000 for the UA Steele Center at its Fourth Annual Miniature Golf Tournament, held Oct. 19 at Golf N' Stuff. "Our event was a huge success, thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, attendees and special donors," said Jenny Horn, Kids of Steele co-chair. "We nearly doubled what we raised last year; and, despite the rainy weather, close to 400 children and adults showed up to play miniature golf, race Go-Karts, ride bumper boats, play laser tag and engage in fun crafts to help Steele Center patients feel like rock stars," she said. Read more | KVOA story | View photos

Thanks to the generosity and fundraising efforts of PANDA (People Acting Now Discover Answers) in Phoenix, the PANDA Children's Neurological Center now is open. The group raised about $1 million to establish the center and fund recruitment of neurological specialists and research in this area. Read more | KOLD story | KTAR story | AZPM story

Tee Up For Tots donated $20,000 to the UA Steele Children's Research Center for its pediatric cancer research in haploidentical hematopoietic cell transplant. Overall, Tee Up For Tots raised more than $34,000 through its 16th annual golf tournament that took place at the OMNI Tucson National Resort in August. Read more

Kelsey Luria is a 17 year old senior at Catalina Foothills High School, and was being bombarded with headaches."I would just have, like, this constant headache--my head would just be banging. It would feel like someone would be shooting at my head," said Luria. "And then, the weekend before I went to the hospital, I had three migraines in a row, three days in a row." After a month of constant pain, clarity of Luria's condition was received just four weeks ago. It didn't take long for doctors to find that the headaches were a sign of anemia, and anemia can be a symptom of leukemia. KVOA story  

Sigma Chi recently donated $20,000 to Diamond Children's. "We're extremely appreciative for their support," said Lori Throne, director of Women's and Children's Services at UAMC. "Our goal is to give patients and their families the best experience and this check helps us do that." KGUN story  

The University of Arizona Department of Pediatrics and the University of Arizona Health Network welcomed new faculty member Neha Bhasin, MD, assistant professor, to the Division of Hematology/ Oncology. Dr. Bhasin earned her medical degree from Ross University (Dominica, West Indies) and then completed her pediatrics residency at Stony Brook University Medical Center (New York). Dr. Bhasin went on to complete a fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology from the University of Iowa Children's Hospital and received a certificate in clinical and translational research at University of Iowa. Read more  

ComfyCozy's are brightly colored tie-dyed T-shirts designed with zippers, pockets and slits that allow access to chest-ports without exposing the patient's body. The shirts also provide storage for IV lines while preventing tangling and pulling on the patient's clothing. ComfyCozy's is the clothing line of Amanda Hope's Rainbow Angels, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing "dignity and comfort into the harsh world of childhood cancer." The organization was founded in 2013 in celebration of Amanda Hope, a dynamic and creative little girl from Phoenix, who passed away at the young age of 13 after a four-year battle with leukemia. Read more and view photos