TD Five Boro Bike Tour

For more information, please contact Cassie Taylor at ctaylor@familyreach.org

For general information about the Tour, please visit bikenewyork.org.

Samantha, Age 15

No one expected that as an active, athletic teenager, she would be struck by a life-threatening illness. In 2009, Samantha was diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin lymphoma. After many days of testing and researching options, Samantha began treatment at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), 65 miles away from her New Jersey home. Chemotherapy lasted nearly seven months. Like so many families coping with cancer, the family felt the intense strain of added expenses. Samantha’s mom needed to go back to work but couldn’t: “I was always at the hospital. You can never leave a child.” Samantha’s dad was working two jobs but “we were already struggling before (the diagnosis). This really put us over the top” he said. “The co-pays, tolls, gas, parking… We let other bills go. We fell behind on a lot.” Family Reach provided two generous grants to assist the family with their mortgage payment and two months of car payments. Their home would not go in to foreclosure and their car would not be repossessed. The family felt safe and could focus on getting Samantha well.