Grant Recipient: Hillary

I look forward to the day when I can repay the generosity and incredible kindness that has been shown to me throughout my cancer journey.

Diagnosis: Stage II breast cancer

Treatment: Surgery, radiation, chemotherapy

Grant used for: Rent Payment

Hillary Discovers a Lump…and Loses Her Job

“I liked being able to pay my own bills and buy my own food,” Hillary told us in her grant application. Just a year ago, the 37-year-old was working as a paralegal and enjoying life. Then one day, she found a lump on her breast. The next month included time off for two mammograms and an ultrasound…and then her employer let her go.

As the news that she had lost her job was just settling in, Hillary received another terrible blow. The results of her biopsy came back. She had breast cancer.

Hillary’s World Turns Upside Down

A year after her cancer diagnosis, Hillary’s life is a parody of the freedom, health, and financial stability she once enjoyed. She had to fight for months to gather the money to start her chemotherapy treatments. Hillary was so determined to get a new job that she went to job interviews even after she lost all of her hair!

The Money Runs Out

Despite her best efforts, Hillary couldn’t didn’t get a job, and eventually her unemployment benefits ran out. Now the motivated, fiercely independent woman found herself completely reliant on the charity of others. Her family stepped in, and a GoFundMe page her sister set up has helped her barely keep ahead of her bills. In her grant application, Hillary explained how she has had to make partial payments on her rent with the money she can cobble together each week.

More Bad Health News

Recently, Hillary underwent a lumpectomy. She was so hopeful that she would be able to start radiation therapy after the surgery that she continued applying for jobs and scheduled two interviews. Unfortunately, her cancer had other plans. The doctors discovered that Hillary’s cancer had spread, and they will now need to perform a second, more extensive surgery. In spite of everything, Hillary still manages to face her situation with a positive attitude. “It’s very disappointing to know that my treatment is still far from over,” she wrote, “but I am one of the lucky ones.”

A Helping Hand to a Deserving Person

Here at SOPFCA, we are so impressed with Hillary’s courageous spirit and her fierce motivation to get back on her feet. We are thrilled to be able to give her a grant with the help from our partners at SITE SoCal. Since Hillary told us that she struggled to pay her rent each month, our grant went toward covering that bill for her.

“Accepting help is hard,” Hillary admitted in a letter to us, “but I am incredibly and unspeakably grateful.” We know that Hillary will never give up and that one day she will be able to fulfill her wish to pay it forward when she is healthy again.

Purse Bingo was a fun filled night for all who joined us. Thank you to all our donors and those who came out to help support us.

As a pharmacist, it is Kristine’s job to help people get well. No wonder she has been such a strong advocate for breast cancer charities for over 20 years! Though she has supported multiple breast cancer orgIMG_2355 (1)anizations, she tells us that SOPFCA stands out.

“I like that the money is going to support women in a tangible way,” she told us. “It’s going to pay bills and buy food. It’s going to help them live a better life at a difficult time.”

Although breast cancer has not struck in Kristine’s immediate family, she has watched several very close friends fight against the disease. Many are now breast cancer survivors, but others lost the fight.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever find a cure for breast cancer,” Kristine told us, “but I do know that we need more involvement at the local level. That’s what makes Shades of Pink Foundation California so special.”

In addition to supporting SOPFCA, Kristine is also active in her local German Shepherd Rescue and supports several military charities.

Kelly Eastwood and Vembra HolnagelIf you get a chance, please visit the SOPFCA home page and watch our new video, which does a great job of introducing our mission and our foundation. The video features Kelly Eastwood, a woman who has been integral in supporting our organization and who understands the challenge of a breast cancer diagnosis all too well.

In 2014, Kelly was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy, radiation, and chemotherapy. Throughout all of these trials, Kelly was able to rely on a good health insurance policy, a supportive family, and a close-knit network of friends who helped to keep her positive. During her treatments, she met many other women who were not so fortunate.

“It’s kind of IMG_0758weird to say, but when you think of dying, you wonder what you’ve done with your life. You feel like you need to make the world a better place,” Kelly told us.

Even as Kelly continues to recover from her cancer treatment, she has thrown herself, body and soul into supporting SOPFCA. Though her treatment kept her from participating in our Racing for the Pink 5k race last year, she collected donations for the event. She also regularly volunteers in our office, helping us to stay organized and reviewing grant applications.

 

Kelly is a mother of two who has lived in San Diego for nine years. She and her husband have been married for 28 years! She is currently in remission, and a recent bone scan came back clear.

“I feel like I’m just getting started,” she told us.

 

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT–

The only thing better than hearing the relief in the voice of a grant applicant when we call to tell them they won a grant is to be able to give them even more financial support! With the help of our generous donors and a $27,200 grant from SITE Southern California, we are excited to announce that we have been able to increase our grant awards. All applications are reviewed by our grant committee and grants are awarded based on need.

Why a Bigger Grant Matters

All of our grant applicants are fighting two extremely difficult battles. The first battle is breast cancer, and the second battle is keeping financially afloat in the face of quickly growing bills. Most women in chemotherapy and radiation treatment are not healthy enough to work, and the loss of an income is a devastating blow.

Small Cash Infusions Gone Too Quickly

While our previous grant recipients were grateful for a $500 grant, these small infusions of cash were often only enough to cover one or two utility bills, one auto insurance payment, or to assist with groceries for a single month. This gave our grant recipients immediate relief, but the pressure was on again the next month when the bills came again.

More Help, More Time to Get Well

Now that we can give larger grants up to $1,500, we have the opportunity to make a much bigger positive impact on the lives of our grant recipients. Now we can cover a month of rent, or several months of utilities, groceries, and gasoline. Our grantees won’t have to worry about where the money will come for the bills next month; they can focus on getting treatment and getting well!

Why We Need Your Help More Than Ever

The community grant award we received from SITE Southern California was the boost we needed to elevate our grant awards, but now we have to keep it up. When that money runs out, we’ll need to maintain our commitment to larger grants using only donations from supporters like you! We’re betting that, with your help, we maintain this momentum and continue to make a bigger difference in the lives of our grantees!

Year in Review

Our financial year ends on March 31st, so now is a great time to look back on all that we’ve been able to accomplish with the help of your donations. In 2014, our first year, we gave out 8 grants. In 2015, we tripled that number with 40 grants, and we’ve still got a month to go!

Here’s some really interesting information about our grant recipients:

  • Grantee ages have ranged from 27 to 89
  • 50% of grantees report minor children at home
  • 50% of grantees are the only head of their household

A Look Back at Events in 2015

In 2015 we held our first-ever Racing for the Pink 5k Race on 05/02, which netted nearly $10,000 in donations, as well as our fun Wine & Paint night in August that was booked solid! We are currently in the process of planning new and exciting events for 2016, and we will let you know as those goes up on our event calendar.

Overall, 2015 was a brilliant year, full of love and compassion for women in our San Diego community who desperately needed a helping hand. It couldn’t have been done without you, so just in case we haven’t said it enough – THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT

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Grant Recipient: Vong

Diagnosis: Stage IV metastatic breast cancer

Treatment: Surgery, radiation, chemotherapy

Grant used for: Utilities, auto insurance

A Terrible Diagnosis

Vong is a mother of two young children, ages three and nine, who worked hard at her job to keep her small family financially afloat. In October of 2015, her doctor gave her a terrifying diagnosis of stage IV metastatic breast cancer. As Vong writes in her grant request: “There is no cure for my disease.”

The Cancer Spreads

Since her diagnosis, Vong’s condition has continued to deteriorate. Her cancer spread to both of her lungs, her spinal cord, and other parts of her body. She recently underwent a vertebroplasty procedure to treat the severe pain in her spine. Her current treatment plan consists of long-term chemotherapy and radiation.

Total Loss of Income

Vong experienced such severe pain from her cancer that she was forced to quit her job. At roughly the same time, her boyfriend lost his job. Seemingly overnight, Vong and her family went from a two-income household to absolutely nothing. Even when she starts receiving disability payments, it will not be enough to cover her living expenses or the cost of raising two young children.

Struggling to Make Ends Meet

Even in the face of such a discouraging diagnosis, Vong continues to search for ways to pay her bills and care for her children. She requested the assistance of Shades of Pink Foundation California, and with the support of our generous donors, we were able to help this struggling mom with pay her utility and auto insurance bills.

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Grant Recipient: Sarah

“We have discovered that the cost of breast cancer does not end with medical bills…”

Diagnosis: Stage II breast cancer (diagnosed 09/2014)

Treatment: Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation

Grant used for: Car repairs

Mother of a Big Clan

At the age of 36, Sarah has her hands full as the matriarch of a blended military family on a fixed income. Together, she and her husband have six children at home. That is a lot of mouths to feed and a lot of love and care to give every single day! Even in perfect health, it takes a lot of work for Sarah to care for her brood. Unfortunately, cancer is zapping Sarah’s strength.
Stage II Breast Cancer Comes Knocking

In September of 2014, Sarah discovered that she had breast cancer. Since that time, she has undergone surgery and is now in the middle of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. When Sarah wrote us to request a grant, she reminded us of how all the little unexpected costs related to breast cancer can really add up.

Growing Travel and Care Costs

Even for a family with steady income and health insurance, breast cancer can be incredibly expensive. Sarah explains how she must be driven 40 minutes round trip several times a week for her chemotherapy and radiation treatments. This adds up in gas money and in car maintenance costs. The family’s car is in desperate need of repair, and Sarah isn’t sure how she is going to afford it.

Other costs keep popping up. Sarah doesn’t always have the strength and energy to care for her six children, and so must pay for childcare. Her medication has caused her weight to fluctuate, forcing her to purchase new clothes. Her radiation and chemo treatments have even changed what she is able to eat, adding hundreds of dollars to the family’s monthly grocery bill.

None of these costs are covered by health insurance, forcing Sarah and her family to struggle to find a way to afford them along with their normal everyday expenses. We hear similar stories from so many women who struggle with all the ancillary costs of breast cancer, which is why we are grateful to be able to assist Sarah and her family with a grant from Shades of Pink Foundation California.

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Grant Recipient: Imelda

Diagnosis: Stage III breast cancer (diagnosed 07/2015)

Treatment: Chemotherapy, Radiation, Lumpectomy

Grant used for: Rent

A Son Struck by a Car

The year 2015 did not start out well for Imelda and her family. In early March, her 25-year-old son was struck by a car, and his injuries continue to prevent him from working. He lives at home and is dependent on his parents. Then, in July, the next bombshell dropped…

Stage III Cancer Diagnosis

In July of 2015, Imelda received a dreaded medical diagnosis. She had stage III breast cancer! In September of that year, she underwent a lumpectomy and is now in the middle of a ten-month combined chemotherapy and radiation treatment cycle. This exhausting regiment has left Imelda unable to continue her job search, forcing her entire family to rely on her husband’s income. Unfortunately, her husband also suffers from a debilitating illness…

Rent Relief for One More Month

Imelda’s husband is currently on medical leave from his military job due to severe depression. His disability income is the only money his family has to live on, and it is not nearly enough. His entire disability payment doesn’t even cover the family’s monthly rent.
Imelda wrote to us requesting a grant to help pay her rent. Her family has experienced a run of very serious medical misfortunes, and we wanted to help turn her luck around. Our generous donors made it possible to help Imelda and her family stay in their home for another month. It is our hope that everyone in Imelda’s family is able to regain their physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Grant Recipient: Molly

I am strong enough to get through this!

Diagnosis: Stage III breast cancer that has spread into the lymphatic system (diagnosed 07/15)

Treatment: Chemotherapy with surgery to follow

Grant used for: Housing costs

Staying Positive in the Face of a Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Nothing is going to keep Molly, “waitress extraordinaire,” down, not even stage III cancer or chemo!

Hair loss? Molly says “Don’t have to shave my legs for six months!”

Support groups? Molly tells us, “I love meeting new people!”

Fatigue? Molly is excited that she has, “more down time to talk to my family.”

Fear? “I have the world’s best dog to support me and snuggle,” Molly gushes on her grant application.

Putting Herself Through School…

Molly has always been able to power through life’s difficulties. She put herself through Pima Medical Institute, and for the past two years she interned full time at a hospital while waitressing at night and on the weekends to support herself. Life was difficult. Molly remembered, “I considered my laundry time as free time.”

Breast Cancer at Age 33…

She powered through, and in May, 2015 Molly earned a degree in radiologic technology. Only two months later, in the midst of obtaining her national and state registries, she found a lump on her breast. Molly is only 33 years old.

Her cancer has spread into her lymphatic system, and she is undergoing 24 weeks of chemotherapy. Afterwards, it is likely that she will require surgery. Molly’s medical team is encouraging her to limit her waitressing to lower her risk of infection, but losing her job will mean losing her income.

An SOPFCA Helps Molly Cover Her Rent

At SOPFCA, we are so impressed with Molly’s positive attitude, her incredible courage, and her big heart. Thanks to our donors, we are able to give her a grant which will help make her life a little easier. We know that Molly will get through her difficult treatments with her characteristic enthusiasm and spirit. We can’t wait until she can finally become a radiologist and reap the rewards of all her hard work.