Support Services

Having your child diagnosed with cancer is a life-altering experience. Having experienced this firsthand, we work with medical staff to provide support packages for every oncology family at the Janeway.

Upon diagnosis or relapse, families are provided with a support package containing a stuffed animal for the child, gift cards to provide financial aid, and information on other support we can offer.

For families who join Candlelighters NL membership, additional support packages are provided at 3 and 6 months via mail.

One of the ways in which we provide ongoing support is by making visits to the Medical Day Care unit.  We provide coffee, tea, and snacks and invite parents to join us for conversation.  This is one way we can provide emotional support for families by listening to them, celebrating good news, and being with them during times of stress. Regular parent meetings are also at held at the Janeway during one evening in the month—all parents and guardians are welcome to attend.

We also offer a food cupboard in the Janeway’s oncology unit. While a child is undergoing treatment, their appetite varies due to side-effects such as nausea, taste changes, and food cravings. Families are able to access the cupboard at any time for meal or snack items such as soup, cookies, popcorn, etc. at no cost.

Please note that due to COVID-19, we are unable to make our regular visits to the Janeway at this time.  Please feel free to reach out with any suggestions on how else we can help while unable to visit in person.

We currently offer three scholarships. The Dr. Jack Hand Memorial Scholarship is presented to pediatric cancer survivors in honour of the memory of pediatric oncologist Dr. Jack Hand. In 2018, we introduced the Candlelighter Family Scholarship, which is for siblings of children diagnosed with cancer. Additionally, The Nichole Michelle Lane Cancer Research Scholarship is provided in memory of Nichole Michelle Lane to a second-year MUN medical student who has undertaken the most outstanding summer research project in the area of cancer and particularly in pediatric cancer.

See below for our 2024 applications to the Dr. Jack Hand Memorial Scholarship and Candlelighter Family Scholarship (all files in PDF format).

• Dr. Jack Hand Memorial Scholarship
• Candlelighter Family Scholarship

Click here for a list of our 2022-2023 scholarship recipients.  Congratulations!

During each holiday season, we partner with Janeway medical staff to identify families in need of financial support. We provide $500 worth of gift cards to chosen families to help alleviate the costs associated with the holidays. Companies and organizations are able to partner with the Candlelighters Association to sponsor additional families.

• Our Birthday Club ensures that children diagnosed with cancer and their siblings are mailed a birthday card each year! Contact us to sign up!
• We host annual family Christmas parties for oncology families to come and enjoy the holiday season together!
• We have created a Facebook support group for parents affected by childhood cancer.
• We believe that families experiencing loss should not have to worry about the financial costs of losing a loved one. We provide each bereaved family with $1000 to help lessen the financial burden.
• We also participate in childhood cancer awareness and advocacy activities to support our families.