They made it a point to understand what we value most. They knew we were a faith-driven family and they honored that. They knew we wanted to get Maggie home and they made it happen. CYNDI MCGINNIS Pittsburgh 15 years ago to establish Supportive Care, one of only five such programs based at children’s hospitals in the country. The young patients and their families are wrapped in a cocoon of care that begins with medical treatment and extends to emotional support for the loved ones of children who do not survive. Program staff are currently following about 1,200 families who have lost children over the past 10 years. The goal is to improve pediatric palliative care. “The program provides a space to deal with the most horrible thing imaginable,” May says. “We work with families on how to honor and meet their cultural and religious needs, so that their child is comfortable and understands what’s happening.” For Cyndi McGinnis, the program’s groundbreaking work eased what would have otherwise been unbearable. “They made it a point to understand what we value most,” she says. “They knew we are a faith-driven family and they honored that. They T H E P I T T S B U R G H F O U N D AT I O N 1 2 F O R U M