Elizabeth Earley: Elizabeth.Earley@CHKD.org or (757) 668-9049
NORFOLK, Va. – Benjamin Goldberg was a boy who loved music, dancing, and life. He also had a rare type of cancer, which he died of in 2016 when he was 8 years old.
Thanks to a foundation his mother, Wendy Goldberg, created in his honor, the Virginia Beach boy’s spirit lives on, most recently in a playroom that was named for him on CHKD’s new inpatient hematology and oncology unit.
Wendy and Benjamin Goldberg.A $100,000 donation from the Benjamin Goldberg Foundation helped create a place where kids can play and explore and feel like a normal kid again, and also experience dance and music therapy, yoga, and guided meditation.
“When you allow creativity in through these healing resources, it can change the story,” says Wendy Goldberg.
Benches along the windows provide a quiet place for kids to daydream, and floor-to-ceiling glass panels provide both light and a viewing spot for staff and families to watch their fun.
Benjamin was diagnosed in 2013 at CHKD with neuroblastoma, a rare type of tumor that almost always affects children. He was known for tapping into music to find solace during his journey, his ever-present headphones transporting him to a place of calm. Wendy Goldberg, a longtime volunteer for CHKD, and former chair of the health system’s Development Advisory Board, wants other children to be able to find the same peace.
The playroom is a feature of a newly designed inpatient hematology and oncology unit that opened at CHKD in late 2020. For the first time, all 16 rooms are private, and also have “positive pressure,” which means air pressure inside is higher than outside the room, so airborne particles in the room are filtered out, to protect patients with fragile immune systems.
The $100,000 donation was the second the Benjamin Goldberg Foundation made to improve the lives of CHKD cancer patients. In early 2020, a $20,000 gift was made to purchase infusion backpacks that allow patients to receive drug therapy in the comfort of their home rather than spending days in the hospital. So far, the backpacks have provided 224 days of home treatment for five patients.
Whether through music, play, or infusion backpacks, the spirit of Benjamin Goldberg continues to lift the spirits of children with cancer and blood disorders.
VIDEO | Take a Tour and Learn More About the New Hematology/Oncology Unit at CHKD
