Family Stories

Cancer affects millions of people and their families. Without warning, the disease can overwhelm a family emotionally and financially. Our mission is to provide timely relief so that families can get through difficult moments and focus on returning their loved-ones to good health.

 

Below, we offer just a small sample of hundreds of families we have helped over the last ten years. These recent stories are presented by the caring and compassionate social workers that we work with on a regular basis. Join us in our cause to help families fighting cancer. Your contributions will bring comfort to people more than you can imagine.

 

Heather, Age 4, Maryland

Heather was recently diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a common form of childhood cancer. Heather's father works at home, and her mother works at an office outside of the home. Heather cannot continue to go to the child daycare facility due to her serious condition, and now requires special home-based babysitting. The family cannot afford this increased cost. The parents' relatives have been paying for the daycare but are running out of funds.

The family is proud and trying to deal with the situation as best as possible. They are requesting a limited amount of help - approximately four hours per week of babysitting for eight weeks. Since her diagnosis, Heather has become withdrawn and anxious, but thankfully has been socially responsive to the visits of the home-based babysitter. The contact appears therapeutic in addition to affording time for her father to work.

 

Family Reach gladly agreed to pay for babysitting for the eight weeks requested.

 

Lugo, Age 5, Massachusetts

Lugo was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) in November 2007 and will undergo chemotherapy in Boston over the next two years. He is currently being seen as an outpatient for chemotherapy. Lugo has already had two inpatient hospital admissions for complications of his treatment and we expect that he will require further hospitalizations in the future.

 

Lugo lives with his parents and his 7-year-old sister. Lugo was diagnosed with ALL when the family was living in Florida and they have since relocated to Massachusetts to receive medical care. His mother was a full-time student and his father had left his job two days prior to Lugo's cancer diagnosis. At this time, both parents are unemployed and are not receiving any income. They are supporting their family by borrowing money from friends and family. The family currently receives medical insurance through COBRA. They have applied for MassHealth to assist with Lugo's medical costs, but may have to wait for up to 3 months until they are covered.

 

The family is currently struggling to cover expenses related to Lugo's medical treatment. The parents are planning to find part-time work and to rent out a home that they own in Florida in order to make ends meet. At the moment, however, they have no income. I met with the parents today and they would greatly appreciate help with their rent payment. This assistance will help the family avoid sinking deeper into debt as they have already borrowed thousands of dollars from friends and family.

 

Family Reach provided a $1,000 grant to help Lugo's parents pay their rent.

 

Hayley, Age 7, Massachusetts

In April 2008, Hayley was admitted to the children's hospital and diagnosed with angiosarcoma, a cancer more common in adults. (Hayley has a mediastinal mass and two chest tubes.) Except for one brief stay at home, Hayley has remained an inpatient since April. She will likely spend another month in the hospital. Hayley has three siblings ages 10, 14, 16. Hayley's mother was working part-time at Wal-Mart, but has been on unpaid leave since mid-March due to Hayley's illness. Hayley's father works for a plumbing company but has been unable to work his usual full-time hours due to Hayley's illness. Their household income has been significantly reduced as a consequence. The family does not like to ask for help, but they are now in great financial need.

 

Family Reach provided a $1,000 grant to help Hayley's parents pay their mortgage.

 

Dolores, Age 12, California

Dolores is a 12 year-old girl who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2006. She recently relapsed and is currently undergoing a cord blood transplant. Tragically, Dolores had a 17 year-old brother that died from a relapse of leukemia last year.

 

The family has been dealing with cancer and relapses for several years between their two children. Dolores' father is the sole provider to the family and is a truck driver who travels throughout California. Over the past years, the father has not had consistent work given the economy as well as his needing to take time off work to care for his children. He does not get paid if not working. Recently, Dolores' father had a friend use his truck and the friend had an accident that caused an unplanned, extra expense for the family. The family needs help to pay their next rent and would be grateful if Family Reach could help

 

Family Reach provided a grant to help Dolores' family pay their rent.

 

Erin, Age 14, Massachusetts

In June 2007, Erin was diagnosed with medulloblastoma (brain tumor) and since then she has had a long, difficult treatment course that has involved many months of inpatient time at both Children's Hospital Boston and Spaulding Rehabilitation Center in Boston. Erin is currently in the midst of daily (every weekday) radiation therapy treatments at nearby Brigham & Women's Hospital.

Erin has two siblings ages 10 and 12. Erin's mom was working part-time at a café, but she has been on unpaid leave for almost eight months now due to Erin's illness and required care. Erin's father is a fireman, and until now much of his leave has been paid, but his bank of sick time has almost depleted. I met with the parents today in the Jimmy Fund Clinic and they asked if I knew "of any help out there." I told them about Family Reach and they were thrilled that the Foundation could help provide some breathing room.

 

Family Reach provided a $1,000 grant to help Erin's parents pay their mortgage.

 

Fernando, Age 16, New York

Fernando has been on treatment for the last six months since he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma, the most common form of malignant bone cancer. Early in the year, part of his leg was amputated just above the knee and he is now wheelchair bound. Fernando lives in Brooklyn with his divorced mother and two younger brothers, one of whom is autistic. The family's only source of income is child support. His mom is struggling financially and did not have funds to make her monthly car payment. The car is needed to bring Fernando to and from treatment.

 

Family Reach provided a grant to help Fernando's mom pay for their car.

 

Shannon, Age 19, Pennsylvania

About a year ago, Shannon's mom decided to move her family to a better neighborhood to avoid gang violence. Shannon has a 14 year-old brother who does well in school, but was being harassed constantly. Her mom and both of her older sister decided they would all work as hard as possible to afford to live in a better area. Shannon's mom decided to work two jobs and Shannon and her sister worked as well. This plan was going well until Shannon was diagnosed recently with thyroid cancer. She had surgery at another hospital but her tumor quickly returned. She spent most of this last year sick, and her mom had to resign from one of her jobs to take care of her.

 

Shannon's father is delinquent in child support which is contributing to their financial stress. The only regular working person in the house is Shannon's sister. Shannon has to go through several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. Her mom is driving every day from Pennsylvania to care for her, and is having financial difficulties with soaring gas prices. Her mom recently asked if there is any source of funds that could help. When I looked at all of her bills, it was obvious that whatever money she had saved she was using to pay a little of each bill and keep everything in good standing. She was very organized and was trying to be responsible. The family is in dire need of financial assistance. With your grant and other funding, the family will be able to stay float and focus on Shannon's treatment.

 

Family Reach provided a $1,000 grant to help Shannon's mom pay their rent.

 

Angelo, Age 21, New Jersey

Angelo was diagnosed in 2004 with hepatocellular carcinoma, a primary malignancy of the liver. He has been through numerous rounds of treatment since that time. He currently lives with his mother and younger sister. Angelo has expressed that his greatest need right now is a sense of independence and having the ability to work and go to school in the fall. Having a basic, used car would "most definitely" allow him to achieve this objective. To help Angelo, we are making a special grant request of $750 to Family Reach Foundation to be used toward the down payment of a used car for Angelo. He has been working and saving money in order to pay for auto insurance and monthly car payments. Thank you very much for your consideration of this request.

 

Family Reach provided money for the down payment to help Angelo buy the car he will use for work and school.

 

Tom and Nancy, Ages 47

Tom and Nancy, husband and wife and parents of two teenage girls, were both diagnosed with different cancers in a short period of time. Tom was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, and Nancy discovered she had ovarian cancer shortly after. While Tom’s treatment has proven to be successful to date, Nancy continues to struggle through her various treatments and recurrence. Both of them have been through intense physical and emotional trauma and have tried their best to stay strong for their two daughters. In the process of fighting against two different cancers, they have had to miss significant amounts of work and absorb mounting expenses. They are highly determined to stay positive and to overcome the challenges before them.

 

Family Reach helped provide over $3,000 in grants by sponsoring special events and programs to assist Tom, Nancy and their two girls during their time of crisis.

 

 

Making a Donation

To make a donation to help a family fighting cancer, please visit www.familyreach.org or write a check to Family Reach Foundation,

2001 Route 46, Suite 310, Parsippany, NJ 07054.