Helen and Jacob Shaham, a Miami couple who built a senior-living empire from a modest start, just wrote a very big check for some very small patients. Their $15 million donation to Nicklaus Children's Hospital now names the Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute in their honor and is intended to expand pediatric cancer care and research so South Florida families can stay close to home while their kids get top-tier treatment. For the Shahams, it is not just philanthropy but family history: Jacob lost his twin brother to cancer, and other relatives have been treated at Nicklaus. The hospital marked the naming with a reception on campus where the couple met patients, families, and staff.
Shaham Gift Puts Their Name On Pediatric Cancer Institute
In announcing the donation, Nicklaus Children's Hospital said the $15 million gift will "elevate pediatric cancer care and research so no child ever has to leave the state for treatment." The hospital noted this is the first contribution large enough to name a clinical institute and that it folds into its Forward For Generations campaign. Leaders at Nicklaus described the Shaham gift as transformational for families staring down a pediatric cancer diagnosis.
Patients And Families Take Center Stage At Unveiling
At the naming event, the numbers took a back seat to the kids. Coverage by CBS Miami showed the Shahams visiting with patients inside the institute, including 16-year-old Sabrina Soto, who the station reported is fighting a rare liver cancer and making progress after four months of treatment. Families told the station they were grateful to see a local couple invest so heavily in pediatric care, while Jacob Shaham explained that the gift grew out of personal loss and a lifetime spent trying to care for others.
Why This $15 Million Matters
Pediatric cancer remains a stubborn public health challenge. A recent Cancer Statistics review estimates that roughly 15,000 to 16,000 children and adolescents in the United States receive a cancer diagnosis each year, and CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians notes that ongoing research and specialized centers are crucial to pushing survival rates higher. At Nicklaus, Nicklaus Children's Hospital has reported that around 70 percent of its Miami-area patients are insured by Medicaid, while CBS Miami reported that "about 90% of children are on Medicaid with no insurance" at the hospital, a discrepancy that underlines how often philanthropy has to step in to fill the funding gaps. The hospital said the Shaham contribution will bolster diagnostics, research, and expanded therapies so more care can stay local.
From Opa-locka Startup To South Florida Mainstay
The Shahams’ journey to writing eight-figure checks started a long way from a hospital gala. The couple emigrated from Israel and, according to the family, arrived with about $38,000 before buying a small facility in Opa-locka that eventually became The Palace Group. Today, The Palace Group lists multiple communities across South Florida that provide independent living, assisted living, and memory care, describing itself as a family-run company serving thousands of residents. The Shahams have said their decades in senior care shaped how they think about community responsibility and helped drive their decision to turn significant attention to pediatric medicine.
How The Hospital Plans To Use The Cash
Within the Forward For Generations campaign, a $15 million gift is the level that names an institute and helps expand major services. Forward For Generations outlines plans to use funding at this tier to increase inpatient oncology beds, infusion capacity, and transplant services, while also supporting clinical research and trials. The campaign highlights specific goals like growing blood and marrow transplant programs, adding infusion services, and ramping up clinical studies so fewer families feel forced to leave Florida in search of specialty options. Hospital officials say the Shaham gift is expected to speed up those efforts and help attract additional research dollars.
For families in Miami-Dade and across South Florida, the donation is intended to be more than a new sign on a building. The goal is to bring cutting-edge treatments, clinical trials, and support services within driving distance, not a plane ticket away, while local funders and hospital leaders watch to see whether this marquee gift triggers a new wave of giving for pediatric oncology in the region.
