BACKGROUND:

Virtually every American family has been affected by cancer. One out of three people in the United States will get cancer and in certain areas the rates are even higher. Cancer is indifferent to whom it attacks; it does not discriminate by ethnicity, sex or social standing and sadly, it often hits children of all ages.   

With 27 major cancer treatment centers in the United States, there are many people receiving treatment far away from home. For patients requiring such treatment, hospital stays average between three and nine months. Current treatment generally consists of chemotherapy followed by radiation. By the time a patient goes into an in-patient, out-of-town program, frequently his or her family is already financially strapped. Out-of-town stays mean the patient will not see parents, siblings, grandparents and friends for an extended period of time. Patients staying in cancer centers can be deprived of visits because of the expense of travel and the high cost of hotels, which tends to be most acute in exactly the urban areas where the best treatment facilities are located. The cost of a Manhattan hotel room can be prohibitive and out of town parents of child patients are often forced to sleep on floors, in shelters or worse, forgo a visit entirely.

OUR MISSION:  

The mission of HFFF is to remove this part of the nightmare of cancer care. Research proves that the role of family and friends plays a key part in the wellness process. Medical professionals have unquestionable evidence that the presence and support of loved ones during cancer treatment greatly increases a patient’s chances of recovery.  On the flip side, professionals have found that “Love Deprivation” – the absence of visits and quality time with a patient’s loved ones, can significantly affect a patient’s ability to recover. At HFFF we believe that this is particularly true for younger patients undergoing major procedures.

HFFF was founded in January 1999 by Herman Kotler, a New York entrepreneur who survived a difficult bout with cancer. While undergoing treatment, Mr. Kotler witnessed many out-of-town patients who could not afford to have loved ones visit them in New York. As a longtime veteran of the hospitality industry, Mr. Kotler vowed to put his knowledge to work to change this tragic predicament.

Utilizing a unique operational formula that Kotler developed, HFFF coordinates the allocation of rooms (with black out dates in mind), while ensuring that its hotel partners are never operationally inconvenienced or burdened. This organization, along with the participating hotels plays an important role in the war on cancer and in the elevation of the quality of life of its many victims. Since 1999, HFFF has worked with a number of hotels and hundreds of patients. HFFF now seeks to expand this trusted model to help more patients in New York and other areas of need.