A “transformational” $1 million gift to Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children will fuel a research endowment to support research to improve the lives of children with cerebral palsy.
The donation from Michael and Ericka Hynansky will establish the Nicholas T. Bracaglia Cerebral Palsy Research Endowed Fund, named for Michael’s cousin, Nicholas, who passed away in 2006 at the age of 14, due to complications from the devastating disease.
“Nicholas had an infectious smile, lust for life and an incredible ability to communicate without words,” says Michael Hynansky. “We hope this gift will help advance rehabilitative and research efforts to give a voice to those without a voice and improve the lives of patients and their families.”
Roy Proujansky, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive of Delaware Valley Operations for Nemours, had been Nicholas’ pediatric gastroenterologist. Proujansky said the “fund in his name will help countless other children. His spirit lives on.”
The Cerebral Palsy Center at duPont Hospital for Children is one of a few centers in the Mid-Atlantic region dedicated solely to caring for children with cerebral palsy, and treats more than 3,000 children per year. Nemours is also a noted leader in research, focused on helping impacted children live the fullest possible lives.
Photo caption: Paul Kempinski, President of Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children; Ericka and Michael Hynansky; Dr. Freeman Miller, Dr. Robert Akins; Natalie Bracaglia (Nicholas’ mom); and Dr. Roy Proujansky, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive of Delaware Valley Operations for Nemours
