The Year So Far – 2015 Second Quarter

Grant Recipient: Maria

Up to this point…I always supported myself and never asked for help.

Diagnosis: Stage I breast cancer (diagnosed 06/14), lymphedema

Treatment: Lumpectomy, radiation, hormone therapy

Grant used for: Transportation assistance, basic living assistance, pain management

Maria’s story: Before Maria was diagnosed with stage I breast cancer in June of 2014, she and her husband worked hard to get by. His paycheck covered the rent and the car payments. Maria was self-employed as a hair dresser. Most of her profits went to covering her business expenses, but whatever was left over helped pay the rest of the couples’ bills.

As a result of her cancer, Maria had to undergo a lumpectomy, which caused lymphedema, or painful swelling in her left arm. This pain, along with the exhaustion and other side effects of her radiation therapy made it impossible for Maria to continue to work. Additionally, she and her husband only have a single car and are extremely conscious of wasting gasoline, so he drops her off at the hospital at 3 AM in the morning on his way to work so that she can attend her appointments. Radiation therapy often requires continuous treatments, which means Maria must make the exhausting 160-mile round trip every single day during the course of her treatment.

Maria and her husband counted on Maria’s income to pay for important things like auto insurance, gas, and utility bills. Now with the loss of her income on top of her growing medical bills, they are struggling to get by. Maria has attempted to qualify for disability and unemployment payments but has been denied. The pain from her lymphedema and the constant money worries that Maria faces has spun her into what she describes as “an enormous amount of depression.”

With the help of our considerate donors, SOPFCA was able to give Maria at least a little financial relief. Our grant went toward paying Maria’s auto insurance, her utility bills, and buying special prosthesis to help Maria manage the pain from her lymphedema. This grant will help make the long, daily car trips to the hospital easier for Maria, help ease her pain, and give her a little less to worry about so she can focus on getting better. We continue to keep Maria in our thoughts and hope that she will be able to work again soon.

Grant Recipient: Mary

Believe it or not, my mom has an amazing spirit about her, and I have always known her to be a fighter.

Diagnosis: Stage II Carcinoma in situ (diagnosed 08/14)

Treatment: Mastectomy, Chemotherapy, Radiation, Lumpectomy, Hormone Treatments

Grant used for: Transportation assistance

Mary’s story: Mary and her husband are retired and live on a fixed income. Their daughter describes them as “selfless people who do so much for our community and others.” Over the past few years, Mary and her husband have faced several difficult health diagnoses. Mary suffers from Parkinson’s disease and Meniere’s disease, an inner-ear disorder that causes episodes of vertigo. Mary’s husband was also recently diagnosed with prostate cancer.

In August of 2014, Mary’s doctors discovered that she had carcinoma in situ. She underwent a mastectomy and lumpectomy, but after her surgery her doctors discovered that he had cancer in two lymph nodes. At the time her grant request was submitted, Mary was scheduled to undergo chemotherapy, which would be followed by radiation and hormone therapy.

In the grant application, Mary’s daughter wrote, “I am not certain how my parents make it day-by-day with a fixed income.” Their health problems have made it difficult for Mary and her husband to pay their bills and take up a large amount of their time and focus. Typically, radiation therapy requires continual sessions, which means that Mary will need to travel over 70 miles round trip each day for her appointments.

Despite all of these difficulties, Mary is still able to show an incredible amount of grace and faith. On her grant application she wrote, “I’m still able to count my blessings.” She is thankful for her supportive family and the many “prayer warriors,” who are asking that she and her husband get well.

With the help of our kind hearted donors, SOPFCA was able to provide Mary with a grant to pay her auto insurance. We were also able to provide her with an ARCO gas gift card. This grant will go a long way toward helping Mary make it to her chemotherapy and radiation treatments so she can beat her cancer once and for all.

Grant Recipient: Kelly

This is the first time in my whole life that I could not physically work harder to get ahead or work my way out of getting all of my bills paid.

Diagnosis: Stage II Breast Cancer (diagnosed 07/2013)

Treatment: Chemotherapy, double mastectomy, oophorectomy, hysterectomy

Grant used for: Transportation, basic living expenses

Kelly’s story: Kelly’s care coordinator at Scripps Memorial Hospital tells us that Kelly has a “go-getter” personality and is always trying to move forward. Since she was 18, Kelly has supported herself, sometimes working three or four jobs just to put herself through college and to pay her bills. Over time, she developed severe plantar fasciitis, which made it difficult for her to waitress or work in retail. In December of 2012, Kelly’s car was rear-ended while she was stopped at a red light causing several herniated discs and ongoing headaches, neck pain, and back pain.

Kelly’s healthcare troubles got worse In July of 2013 when she was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer in both of her breasts. She underwent a double mastectomy, hysterectomy, and oophorectomy, which means both of her breasts, her uterus, and her ovaries were removed due to a strong family history of breast and ovarian cancer. Kelly has undergone six major surgeries in a short amount of time and has several more scheduled as she begins her reconstructions.

As a result of her health troubles, Kelly was unable to hold onto her sales job and was unemployed at the time she reached out to us to request a grant. Throughout her surgeries and treatments, she has continued to look for a new job. Kelly has no close family to help support her during this difficult time and is struggling to pay her monthly bills. At the time of her grant request, she let us know that she was about to lose her car insurance and had trouble affording gas so she could drive to her medical appointments and to job interviews.

SOPFCA felt that Kelly was very deserving of a grant. Thanks to our caring donors, we were able to provide Kelly with a grant to pay her monthly auto insurance premium as well as her electric bill, so she could safely drive to job interviews and medical appointments and literally “keep the lights on” at home.

Grant Recipient: Anna

Life is too short to live worrying about bills getting paid!

Diagnosis: Stage IIB breast cancer (diagnosed 05/14)

Treatment: Chemotherapy, radiation, mastectomy, reconstruction

Grant used for: Rent payments

Anna’s story: Before her cancer diagnosis, Anna worked as a part time health clerk at a local San Diego school district. Together, she and her husband were able to make ends meet each month. In May of 2014, Anna was diagnosed with Stage IIB invasive ductal breast cancer. As a result, she underwent a mastectomy and reconstruction a month later followed by chemotherapy that was anticipated to last through November of 2014. At the beginning of 2015, Anna was scheduled for a second surgery followed by six weeks of radiation treatment at the Sharp Memorial Outpatient Pavilion in San Diego.

According to her RN patient navigator, Anna will be unable to go back to work until her treatment is complete in the spring of 2015.

The loss of Anna’s income along with the additional stress of high medical copays has put a big strain on her household. Even with her husband’s income, they are falling behind on their bills. Anna tells us that they are scarping by to pay rent and don’t have a lot left over to tackle her growing medical bills.

Thanks to our generous donors, SOPFC was able to provide a grant to Anna to assist with her rent payment. She tells us and our donors, “Thank you so much for this opportunity. Blessings.”

We hope that our grant can help take some financial worries off of Anna’s shoulders as she focuses on getting through her next surgery and radiation treatment.

Grant Recipient: Aileen

The stress of worrying about my finances has made my recovery even more difficult. Any help with my rent or other utilities would be greatly appreciated.

Diagnosis: Stage IIB breast cancer (diagnosed 05/2014)

Treatment: Chemotherapy with surgery scheduled

Grant used for: Health insurance premium and electric bills

Aileen’s story: Aileen is a mother of two teenagers and was a stay-at-home mom until her cancer treatments left her too ill to care for her children. She writes that her children “…are what’s kept me going through my cancer treatment,” and that it “breaks my heart not to be with them,” when they moved in with their father, Aileen’s ex-husband.

Even before her cancer diagnosis, Aileen struggled with health problems. She experienced excruciating pain in her neck, back, and arm, which left her unable to work. In the midst of multiple surgeries to correct the problems, she received a diagnosis of infiltrating ductal carcinoma in her left breast in May of 2014. She went through chemotherapy treatment and was tentatively scheduled for surgery in November of 2014. In August, Aileen’s RN patient navigator at Scripps La Jolla noted that her cancer had metastasized to her liver.

During this time, Aileen’s bills mounted. Since she is not able to work, she relies solely on the alimony and child support payments from her ex-husband. Just a few months before her cancer diagnosis, her husband went to court and had reduced her alimony by $1,000 a month. Aileen is now reliant on financial help from her 73-year-old mother who still works full time. She tells us, “Every month I wonder how I’ll pay my bills and now my medical bills are really adding up.”

Aileen’s RN patient navigator tells us that Aileen’s oncologist is asking her to pay 30% of her bill or she may not be able to continue with treatment.

At Shades of Pink Foundation California, we saw that Aileen’s need was great. With the help of our generous donors, we were able to provide her with a grant that allowed her to continue paying her healthcare insurance premiums so that she could afford her care. Our grant also helped her cover some of her utility bills.

Grant Recipient: Caprece

Diagnosis: Stage IIIB breast cancer (diagnosed 09/2010)

Treatment: Chemotherapy, hormonal treatments, double mastectomy

Grant to be used for: Utility bills, auto insurance

Patient’s story: Caprece is a mother of two who received a diagnosis of stage three breast cancer in 2010. She received chemotherapy between 2010 and 2011 followed by a double mastectomy in April of 2012. During this time, Caprece tried to cover her costs by doing odd jobs, such as cleaning houses and performing other domestic chores for others.

Unfortunately, Caprece’s cancer metastasized, and since then she has been unable to do any work to bring in extra income. The social security and disability payments she receives is not enough to cover her modest expenses. She is falling farther and farther behind on her bills and has started to make partial payments and rely on food assistance just to get by.

Caprece requested a grant to help cover her costs for things like rent, gas, utilities, and more. She also told us that she was unable to afford auto insurance and was driving to her medical appointments uninsured.

We could clearly see that Caprece was struggling just to keep her head above water in the face of a tragic diagnosis. We were proud to be able to provide her with a grant that went toward paying her utility bills and taking out an auto insurance policy so that she could drive more confidently to her medical appointments.
We thank all of our donors who made this grant possible.

Grant Recipient: Trinh

Diagnosis: Breast cancer, Stage II, diagnosed March, 2013

Treatment: Trinh is in active chemotherapy and hormonal treatment

Grant to be used for: Rent, food, gas, and utility bills

Patient’s story: Trinh is a single mother raising two small children. Before her breast cancer diagnosis, she was a productive employee who worked hard to pay her bills and take care of her family.

Trinh was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer in her left breast in March, 2014 and started chemotherapy and hormonal therapy at Scripps Memorial Hospital. As a result of her treatment, she was no longer able to work, and the bills started piling up. Trinh is currently receiving short term disability payments, child support, and food stamps, but this is still not enough to cover basic expenses, like rent, food, and her utilities. She is also struggling to pay the $40 fee for transportation to her medical appointments.

Trinh does not speak or write English well, but according to her nurse advocate, she is eager to begin working again as soon as her treatment is over and she regains her strength and health. In the meantime, she needs financial help to cover the basic necessities for her family.

SOPC felt that this was a worthy cause and was glad to present Trinh with a grant so that she could feed and clothe her children and afford transportation to her medical appointments. We are very grateful for all the donors who make these grants possible, and who make a huge difference in the lives of breast cancer patients, just like Trinh.

Grant Recipient: Tara

Thank you so much for your generosity, and your continued intention to support those going through what I have gone through and have yet to face.

Diagnosis: Breast cancer, Stage IIB (diagnosed 04/2014)

Treatment: Tara underwent a mastectomy in May of 2014 and reconstruction on the same day. She started chemotherapy in July of 2014, which will be followed by radiation treatment.

Grant to be used for: Food and gas

Tara’s story: Tara is a creative, spiritual, and compassionate person who believes she has a unique talent to heal others at the deepest levels. For over 20 years she expressed her creativity as a professional artist and set designer in San Diego. She sold her art in galleries and even designed sets that are still in use today.

The long-term exposure to paint chemicals took their toll, and Tara had to give up her career as a result of heavy metal poisoning. Since then, Tara has struggled with her health and spent all of her savings trying to detox and get well again.

Even as she was trying to regain her health, Tara started building a new career for herself as a spiritual counselor and healer. Oftentimes, poor health has interfered with her ability to run and grow her business. In 2013, a bacterial infection shut down her digestive tract and adrenal glands, leaving her exhausted and barely able to run her business. Just as she recovered from that, she discovered a tumor on her chest wall.

In March of 2014, she was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer. Due to the aggressive nature of the cancer, she was rushed into treatment, which included a mastectomy and reconstruction on the same day.

When Tara’s case first reached SOPC, she was preparing to start chemotherapy through Scripps Memorial Hospital. She tells us that she is very fortunate to be in a stable housing situation and have support from close friends. However, she is struggling to find the energy and focus for her business and needs financial assistance so she can buy food and the gas she needs to get to her many doctors appointments.

We were very glad to be able to provide Tara with a grant so that she wouldn’t have to worry about food or gas as she started her chemotherapy treatment. When we last checked in with Tara, she was in the midst of her chemo. She told us that though she doesn’t feel well very often, her doctors are very positive about how her treatment is progressing.

Tara is integrating alternative therapies with her treatment to try and manage her symptoms. She is incredibly appreciative of the donors who have made her grant possible.

We wish Tara the best during her treatment and recovery and hope that she can soon return to her wonderful spiritual work.