Serving Up Hope

The 8th Annual Serving Up Hope event on April 20, 2013 made for another success in helping families fighting cancer in the local community. A sincere thanks for the generosity of our sponsors, attendees, and supporters.

Over $8,000 was raised to provide immediate and direct relief to our families. The evening of friendly tennis competition and socializing marked a very enjoyable event full of compassionate individuals.

A special thanks to our top Reach Athlete fundraiser, Melissa Brodeur, for her efforts in raising awareness and support for Family Reach.

Please enjoy photos from last year’s event:

Brittany, Age 14

Brittany was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, a form of leukemia more commonly found in older adults than in children.  To add to their calamity, the family was displaced by a house fire in November 2012, a month after Brittany was discharged from the hospital.

Brittany’s intense treatment was beset with many complications and long inpatient hospital stays and it didn’t take long for the Santana family to feel the financial impact of the cancer storm.  Neither Diana nor her husband Armando, both branch officers with an insurance company, were able to work for at least the first month of Brittany’s treatment which included four cycles of chemo.  Her mom missed a lot of work during this time also, in order to be there for her daughter and the loss of income was significant. It took a while before the family accepted an offer of financial assistance from Family Reach but they were immensely grateful after they received a grant to assist with a mortgage payment. “It was a big relief because you can let these bills pile up.” said Diana.

Brittany has been in remission since August and is doing well.  The Santana family is slowly but surely getting back on their feet financially as both Brittany’s mom and dad have been able to work regular hours the last few months.  Though fears and anxiety about their daughter’s future health and well-being persist, the experience has also left them with a richer and deeper experience of everyday living.