Hyundai’s 'Hope on Wheels' donates $100K to Children's Hospital for pediatric cancer research



MILWAUKEE -- Children's Hospital of Wisconsin continues to rank as one of the best pediatric cancer centers in the country. On Wednesday, July 18 Children's received a $100,000 donation from Hyundai’s 'Hope on Wheels' organization to fund pediatric cancer research.

“It’ll allow us to take the research that we’ve already done on leukemia and expand it into a different type of pediatric cancer," said Dr. Sid Rao, a pediatric oncologist at Children's.

The hospital was one of just 21 across the U.S. to receive a donation, a sign of its status as one of the top pediatric cancer departments in the country.



“I moved here from Boston specifically because of the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin," said Rao.

Jenna Danninger



“Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin is amazing," said Jenna Danninger.

Danninger learned that firsthand when her daughter, Gia, was diagnosed with aplastic anemia last summer.

“Basically, it’s bone marrow failure. There was nothing going on inside of her body. Everything was empty. She wasn’t producing any red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets," said Danninger.

Thankfully, after a bone marrow transplant and grueling year of recovery, Gia is ready to resume a normal life.



Gia Danninger



“She’s registered for kindergarten in the fall, and she’s registered to start back with her dance classes. She’s all excited to get back into normal things that she should be doing at five," said Danninger.

Since Hyundai started Hope on Wheels 20 years ago, Children’s has now received more than $775,000 in grants towards pediatric cancer research and programs.