The Children's Cancer Center, Inc. was founded in 1974 after Mac and Cecile Burnett lost their daughter, Helen, to leukemia. In 1976, Dr. Janifer M. Judisch, one of only three hematology/oncology physicians in the state of Florida, arrived at the University of South Florida (USF) College of Medicine and established the Center at USF with the Burnetts.
Dr. Judisch and the Burnetts envisioned an organization to help alleviate the stress of coping with a child's traumatic illness by providing educational, psychological and financial support.
The Children's Cancer Center is the result of their vision.

When H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute (Moffitt) opened its doors in 1986, the Children's Cancer Center moved into the facility and became the support organization for both pediatric patients and their families, providing programs, services and direct financial assistance as the need arose.

With the close of the pediatric program at Moffitt in 1995, the Children's Cancer Center's Board of Directors voted to expand its services to all children receiving treatment for cancer or chronic blood disorders in the Tampa Bay area and became a freestanding 501(c) 3 support organization.

Primarily, the Children's Cancer Center provides its support to pediatric hematology/oncology patients in St. Joseph's Children's Hospital, Tampa General Hospital, All Children's Hospital and All Children's Specialty Care of Tampa. However, the Center has served children from all over Florida, the Southeastern United States and abroad in the Bahamas, India and South America.