Hannah's Gift

Fight

Cancer!

LET'S

GIVE

Hannah’s Gift is a non-profit organization that hosts dinner events located in the city of Orange at Children's Hospital of Orange County. This meal program was dedicated to a young girl named Hannah Frances Chade. On December 20, 2000, at age 1½, Hannah was diagnosed with Acute Mylogenous Leukemia (AML). After going into remission, relapsing and undergoing a transplant, a precious young girl named Hannah lost her battle to cancer on December 12, 2001. Dana Chade, Hannah’s mother, put together this organization to support families who currently have a loved one admitted to the oncology department. The oncology department is a division of the hospital which administers care to cancer patients. The organization is held in memory of her daughter and to support other families who are going through what she once went through.

In the honor of her name, Hannah's Gift hosts dinner, desserts, toys and entertainment for all of the patients, family, friends and staff of the oncology department. The organization holds events every Thursday throughout the year. Our specific group runs this event 4-5 times per year around the holidays to brighten up lives. With the use of gift baskets, toys, and a warm meal, our method for raising the spirits of the patients is through the act of giving. We are dedicated to giving our time, love, and care to the patients to invoke a smile on their faces. The families that spend their holidays with their children in the hospital spend days, weeks and months without the opportunity to go home. The event that we hold, encourages patients and their families to leave their respective rooms and enjoy dinner with other patients and our volunteers in a different environment.

Willing to help?

No donation is too small and every donation is greatly appreciated. From cash to any un-used toys or games, we take donations in all shapes and sizes. The funds you provide will be spent towards patients and their families at each event. We provide dinner and a mix of nutritious fruits and vegetables but also sugary sweets to help spark the appetite of some patients finding it difficult to eat. Along with presents in sync with the holiday for patients and their families.

We are seeking out donations for any other materials that patients and their families could need during their extended treatment periods spent in the hospital.

Our expected project outcomes are to brighten the lives of the patients residing in the oncology department and provide a helping hand to them during a difficult time. Our success will be measured by the happiness brought to the patients and the joy that will be shared as we bring all of the families together during the holidays. After each event, group reflections will be held, in order to better provide provisions that the families need.

Hannah Chade

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About

Mission Ranch Market

Provide a catered Persian meal with enough leftovers to provide families with food that can be kept dormant in their rooms in order to prevent the need to constantly binge on snacks and fast food daily.

Pavilions

Coordinate with grocery stores to provide a mix of nutritious fruits and vegetables but also sugary sweets to help spark the appetite of some patients finding it difficult to eat.

Suppliers

My name is Shanna Mirfakhraei the daughter of Mondonna Mirfakhraei the program designer for our selective dates for Hannah’s Gift. Mondonna has been volunteering for CHOC children hospital oncology department for the last eleven years. As I got older, I grew to understand and appreciate the perseverance of my mom to help others at the age of ten. Furthermore, the admiration I had for my mother motivated me to strive and emulate her strength and resilience, characteristics that define me. In 2011, I joined forces with my mom and became her assistant. I predominately gather qualified volunteers, who assist with putting the event together. Volunteers will spend their time wrapping gifts, preparing games, serving dinner, and handing out gifts to the patients and family members. My mother instilled in me at a young age that giving back to the community is the finest form of loving thy neighbor. Growing up, I was always volunteering with my mother at children’s hospitals, putting on events for patients, their families, and the staff, who work rigorously to save lives every day. These events allowed me to set a goal upon learning from the experiences of my mother who will be my greatest assets in developing the tools I need as an event coordinator. These events allowed me to exhibit a service to the community that will go far beyond financial motivation.

Take a look into our time spent volunteering for Hannah’s Gift

Learn More

OUR STORY!

Hannah's tragic story inspired my mother, Mondonna Mirfakhraei, to start volunteering her time in 2005 in honor of her dear friend, Irene Greenup. Malika Greenup was diagnosed with leukemia and is today a survivor of cancer. The journey of the Greenup family during these turbulent times consisted of sleepless nights in the hospital. Families often spend days, weeks and months in the hospital without the opportunity to go home, Greenup family was in the hospital 3 weeks straight. The three weeks was not even the worst part, Malika went through chemotherapy for 2 years and 4 months.

Irene’s feelings on Hannah’s Gift was and still is truly a God’s blessing. She mentioned during her extended stay that all you eat is hospital food, which are likely unhealthy choices and moreover costly. Irene recalls her first time eating with Hannah’s Gift and the emotions she felt when she was able to enjoy a homemade meal. She felt overwhelmed with joy, this was a time for her to know someone cares and to keep moving forward. After experiencing Hannah’s Gift first hand Irene knew she wanted to be a part of these events. While Irene’s daughter was still getting treatments, she began volunteering to host dinners. Optimism and positivity are really key factors when trying to combat these terrible illnesses, Hannah’s Gift spread the act of joy in order to brighten those whose lives have been shadowed.

Malika Greenup

“I believe every stepping stone in life is only a path and there's always light at the end of the tunnel. It will keep shining as long as we never lose hope!” -Irene Greenup

1/8

THE

TEAM

Dana Chade

Mondonna Mirfakhraei

Shanna Mirfakhraei

Mondonna Mirfakhraei

Shanna Mirfakhraei

Founder

Created Organization
Organizes dates for every week and keeps the machine running

Program Designer

Designates the dates for our branch of Hanna's Gift
Organizes meals, consults with grocery stores to provide donations
Keep track of patients determining what they require
Determines preferences of patients and stays up to date on cravings of the children

Event Organizer

Organizes gift distribution
Determines how many volunteers and who will be attending each event
Distributes gifts to patients in their rooms, invites them to dinner

Research Plan

As cancer patients are often required to stay in the oncology department for weeks, even months, at a time, we have found that depression is a common issue that develops for patient and their families. We know that it is a great struggle to not be able to go outside for long days at a time and that this can truly take a tole on the patients’ spirits. In order to take action toward our goal, we need to understand exactly what issues invoke depression and what can be done to lower these risks. For our research plan, we need to examine the causes that create depression within the patients and their families, such as emotional and financially instability, so that we can determine how to address their needs. We aim to determine what we can do to change patients’ outlooks to give them a more positive experience in their time at the hospital.

In order to understand what is needed to provide these results, we must learn about the hardships that accompany a diagnosis as extreme as a terminal cancer. Next, we must evaluate the repercussions of the treatments and which side effects, if any, can we help to treat without interfering with the hospital’s treatment. Reliable sources for this type of information can be found with patients and family members who can provide the most accurate source of anecdotal evidence for the time that they spent with their loved ones in the hospital. Another reliable source of information can be found within the health practitioners and staff members of the oncology department. The staff administers care and witnesses the pain first hand, this is crucial in understanding why the patients are feeling the way they are. Lastly, through scholarly articles, we hope to understand how a beneficial outlook can affect.treatments within the health industry.

Contact

If you or anyone you know is willing to be a volunteer for an upcoming Hannah’s Gift date or a donator for this non-profit organization, please fill out the following for any questions, comments or concerns.