When Children's Cancer Association was founded in 1995, its flagship program — JoyRx Music — was built on a simple, powerful idea: bring live music directly to children in the hospital. For decades, trained JoyRx Music Specialists visited kids bedside at local Portland hospitals, creating personalized musical moments tailored to each child's mood, energy, and interests. 

A night of joy, music, and community support was celebrated at the 2026 Live From the Heart Austin gala, featuring Charley Crockett. With the generosity of our incredible donors, we set a new record for fundraising for JoyRx programs in Austin, Texas.

On Siblings Day, we celebrate the unique relationships that shape us from childhood into adulthood – the first friends, the protectors, the tormentors, the rivals, and the companions who influence who we will become and how we will see the world. For Beth, that bond with her older sister, Maddie, continues to impact her life today as an oncology nurse, a JoyRxMentor, and as a surviving sibling whose life and perspective was changed by childhood cancer.  

World Health Day, observed every April 7th, is a global reminder that health is a fundamental human right — and that health means far more than the absence of disease. It encompasses emotional well-being, dignity, connection, and the ability to thrive, even in the most difficult circumstances.  

We launched JoyRx Music bedside live services in New York City in October 2024, and since then, we’ve been finding our groove in this vibrant, extraordinary city. As such an inherent home to music, New York City has long been the hub for musical movements — and we’re ready to start our own in hospital rooms across the city.

When Kira was twelve years old, she received an unexpected cancer diagnosis. Faced with these new hardships, she found joy thanks to her experience with JoyRx Music and the connection she formed with her JoyRx Mentor.