Meredith Cooper, the co-founder of Wonders & Worries, meets with a dad and child to show how a CT scan works.
Wonders & Worries, an Austin nonprofit organization that provides support for children who have a parent or caregiver with a serious illness, has expanded its reach to San Antonio.
We profiled Wonders & Worries last year and told you how it started when two local child life specialists realized there wasn’t such a program here. Wonders & Worries also has been part of the Statesman’s Season for Caring program for many years.
Today, Wonders & Worries celebrated the opening of its San Antonio office in the The START Center for Cancer Care. Working with START as well as the Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas, Wonders & Worries will be able to provide support for 400 family members in San Antonio in the first year. It now serves 1,400 family members a year in its four Central Texas offices.
“This is another step towards all children and teenagers being able to reach their full potential despite a parent’s illness,” said Wonders & Worries co-founder Meredith Cooper in a press release.
“Austin doesn’t have a monopoly on sick parents.” said Alex Gabbi, the executive director of Wonders & Worries in a press release. His children also received services from Wonders & Worries when his late wife, Heather, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. “I look at my three kids and know that our program works. My children are well-adjusted and thriving because of what they learned from Wonders & Worries.”
Do you know of a kid who could use help coping with a parent’s serious illness? You can find help at Wondersandworries.org, 512-329-5757.
