Based in Bucharest, APCAO works within the pediatric onco-hematology department of the Fundeni Clinical Institute — one of Romania’s leading clinical centers — providing the support infrastructure that the healthcare system alone cannot offer. Since 2022, two APCAO physiotherapists have been embedded directly in the department, working alongside medical staff and building the kind of continuous, trusted relationships with children and families that short-term interventions cannot replicate.

Kaizen Foundation’s support enabled APCAO to sustain and expand this work. The two physiotherapists evaluated more than 200 children and delivered over 1,000 hospital-based sessions until February 2026. Beyond the bedside, medical education workshops brought together specialists cross oncology, rehabilitation, nutrition and psychology, disciplines that too rarely operate as a team. Parents and caregivers attended sessions on nutrition and recovery, gaining practical tools to support their children at home. A communication skills course for medical staff recognized something that is easy to overlook — that how a doctor speaks to a frightened family is part of the treatment.