By Kim Glovas

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Families with children who are being treated for cancer at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia got some good news today: a half-million-dollar endowment gift from GlaxoSmithKline to help defray travel expenses.

It’s called the GSK “Hope For Families” Fund, and it was started in 2008.

Kristi Ross of Oswego, NY, the mother of seven-year-old Julian, who has stage four neuroblastoma, explains what the fund really does:

“It takes away the stress of us trying to figure out where do we stay, what are we going to eat, gas, tolls — this fund helps cover all of that, we don’t even have to think about it,” she said today.  “We call the social worker and say the Ronald MacDonald House is filled, and because of this fund they can get us into the Sheraton or another hotel until a spot opens for us.”

Julian was diagnosed in July 2011 and was listed as terminal twice.  Kristi says Julian has been undergoing an experimental treatment since last summer at CHOP, and now has no evidence of the disease.