MATIO

MATIO, formerly known as Kids Kicking Cancer and Heroes Circle, is a national 501c3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, that transforms the way children experience illness and healing through martial arts-based therapeutic techniques. Founded in 1999 by Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg, a first-degree black belt in Choi Kwang Do a... nd clinical assistant professor in pediatrics at Wayne State University School of Medicine, the organization was established following the tragic loss of his first child Sara to leukemia in 1982. MATIO stands for Martial Arts Therapy Inside and Out, a name adopted in September 2025 to reflect the organization's expanded mission to support children navigating any serious illness beyond cancer, including sickle cell disease, hemophilia, organ transplant, gastrointestinal disorders, and other conditions causing pain and trauma. The organization delivers evidence-based, trauma-informed, non-pharmacological programming that equips children with tools to manage pain, anxiety, and trauma through breathwork, focus, and movement grounded in martial arts principles, teaching children to breathe in the light and blow out the darkness to create inner peace and rediscover agency in the face of medical adversity. MATIO operates through two strategic program areas including inpatient programming delivered at hospital bedsides and in clinical settings, and outpatient community programming offered both in-person and virtually across all 50 states. The organization's comprehensive services include Sara's Pediatric Healing Program, hospital bedside visits, community classes, teen empowerment programs, family support workshops, bereavement resources, transportation assistance, and technology access grants, all provided free of charge to participating children ages 3 through young adulthood and their siblings. MATIO partners with over 90 hospitals, clinics, and community organizations across the United States and internationally, including Children's Hospital of Michigan, New ...Read More