For more information, or to lend your support to Tristan's Gift of Hope Foundation, please click on the GIVE button above, or visit our CONTACT page so we can facilitate your gracious gift.  

Charitable Giving,,, and receiving


Tristan's gift of hope foundation began in 2005 because Tristan, then only nine years old, wanted to ensure that pediatric cancer patients had the opportunity to be treated with life-saving proton beam radiation therapy, as he had been.


At that time proton beam treatment was an extremely rare option in the United States, and even rarer in the rest of the world. It was only available at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), University of California Hospital at Loma Linda California, and at a single hospital in Paris France.


When Tristan was first treated at MGH, there were no pediatric gantries in existence. As a result, kids were treated only part of the day, as the machines had to be completely re-calibrated to accommodate the smaller-statured pediatric patients.


While proton beam radiation is now more accessible than it was in 2005, it is still a scarce resource for pediatric patients. Because a gantry costs approximately $10 million, one of the goals of Tristan's Gift of Hope is to insure that every child who needs access to this specialized treatment is able to receive it. The vast majority of funds raised thus far - through corporate and personal donations - have been given to MGH Pediatric Cancer Center to care for pediatric cancer patients.


In addition to direct donations, fundraisers, such as Cycle California (a bike ride the full length of California), and an Ugly Sweater Contest at a local bar, have given their full proceeds to Tristan's foundation. The foundation has also benefitted from donations and charity day participation from firms including Scotiabank, Goldman Sachs, and BTIG. Total donations thus far from the foundation to MGH pediatric cancer center have totaled over $600,000.

The gift of giving...