Children diagnosed with cancer always lose out on the simple joys of childhood due to long, painful treatments and weakened immune systems, preventing them from visiting parks, playgrounds, or toy stores like other children. This isolation can take a significant emotional and psychological toll on both the children and their families.

For the past 17 years, our Mystic Force Foundation has been a vital support system for families facing pediatric cancer, providing meaningful programs, events, and assistance, both financial and emotional. We opened our Mystic Force Foundation’s Heroes Hangout, a one-of-a-kind Childhood Cancer Haven 7 years ago in an effort to expand our support to children and bring much needed joy and relief between hospital admissions and treatments. The Hangout is a special place where these children can safely play, celebrate, and experience the joys of childhood without the fear of germs or hospital stress. We are the only dedicated Childhood Cancer Haven in South Florida, providing a uniquely supportive and joyful space for children and families facing pediatric cancer – at no cost whatsoever to the families.

At Heroes Hangout we provide the following much needed support to families facing the unimaginable challenges of Childhood Cancer.

• Fostering Genuine Connections: At our Heroes Hangout, children can bond with others who truly understand their journey. These friendships provide emotional support, reassurance, and a much-needed escape from the isolating nature of cancer treatment.

• Providing a Safe & Happy Space: We offer a haven where kids can just be kids—playing, laughing, and creating memories rather than focusing on treatments, hospitals, and medical challenges. The bright colors, inspirational messages, and themed decorations throughout the Hangout provide a joyful setting for these children to forget their difficult situation and allowing them to just be kids.
• Bringing Comfort Through Shared Experiences: Conversations that would seem heartbreaking in any other setting become a source of strength here, as children realize they are not alone in their battle. Seeing other kids who have advanced in their treatment gives children hope and encouragement. Talking to each other about their ports, surgeries, hair loss, and/or radiation treatments is the norm for these children and certainly helps them to better cope with their situation, a situation that friends outside of the childhood cancer realm could never fully understand.
• Creating Moments of Pure Joy: Whether it’s through special events, celebrations, or simply spending time together, we bring happiness into the lives of children and families who desperately need it.
• Supporting Families Beyond Medical Care: Parents and siblings also benefit from a community that understands their struggles, giving them a space to share, heal, and celebrate small victories together, or find support through difficult moments.

What we do best at Heroes Hangout is restoring childhood, even in the midst of cancer. The friendships and happiness found at Heroes Hangout are life-changing for these children, providing emotional strength that no medicine can replace.

This spring we will be moving into a new much larger space, where we can expand our impact, introduce new programs and services, serve more families at a time, and continue to be a place of hope, joy, and support for families in their most challenging times.