So remember when I wrote the blog about raising money for a charity so that my old boss would shave his head?
And asked you to send money?
But I hadn't chosen a charity yet?
Well I chose a charity. I know choosing a charitable organization to give money to might not seem like a difficult decision, but I really wanted to find something that meant alot to me.
So I've chosen the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Minneapolis, MN.
This charity provides free lodging to cancer patients and their caregivers during their treatments. Why is this important to me? Because cancer is a pain in the ass. Treatment is hard. And many cancer patients not only have to deal with the day to day difficulty of surviving, they also enter a whole new world of financial stress.
Aside from the obvious costs of insurance and co-pays and all that, there is the cost of getting to and from treatment. This isn't something that people generally think about as a huge cost for cancer patients, but it definitely can be. Many of the best cancer treatment facilities are located in major cities. For some patients, getting to their treatment facility can mean a long drive or even a flight. And some portions of treatment are DAILY.
Here are a few examples:
A good family friend from Pennsylvania was diagnosed with cancer that required a bone marrow transplant. They had to lower his white blood count to 0 prior to the surgery. He was in the hospital every day for several weeks to get the treatment he needed. The hospital was over 2 hours away from where he lives and travel with a low white count is generally NOT recommended.
Another cancer patient my mother just met is from Minnesota. Her cancer is so severe that the doctor in MN basically told her to go home and die. The hospital she found that WOULD provide treatment is in Boston so she has been living there for the past several months, away from her 12 year old son and husband.
Even for early stage breast cancer, many women undergo radiation. Radiation is a daily treatment. You have to be at the hospital every single weekday for about 4 weeks on average.
Can you imagine the extra cost of hotels and food and travel?
Now imagine that the cancer patient had to take an unpaid leave of absence from work to get these daily treatments so your income as a family was just halved.
Or maybe you're an unmarried cancer patient, so your income was just cut to ZERO.
I am lucky. I have great insurance. I live only 1.5 hours from my doctor. My husband and I make enough money to live very comfortably. And I've been able to work my way through 90% of treatment thus far. We are A-OK when it comes to the financial front.
But financial hardship is a reality for so many cancer patients. Bankruptcy is a reality for cancer patients.
And to me that is just insane. Dealing with finacial stress when your main goal should simply be getting healthy and surviving is INSANE.
This is why I've chosen the Hope Lodge. My hope is that by helping to support a facility that provides FREE lodging for cancer patients, we can help relieve some of that financial burden. And by taking away some of that financial burden, they can spend more of their time focusing on getting healthy.
If you'd like to learn more about the Hope Lodge, click on the link below:
HOPE LODGE
If you feel as though this is a worthy charity and would like to give, you can send a check made payable to 'ACS Hope Lodge' to:
Connie Wood
Pioneer Hi-Bred
151 St. Andrews Ct, Ste 910
Mankato, MN 56001
If you donate through this current fund raising effort, know that we will be applying for matching funds from my company so your donation COULD be doubled!
Thanks again for all your support.
And asked you to send money?
But I hadn't chosen a charity yet?
Well I chose a charity. I know choosing a charitable organization to give money to might not seem like a difficult decision, but I really wanted to find something that meant alot to me.
So I've chosen the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Minneapolis, MN.
This charity provides free lodging to cancer patients and their caregivers during their treatments. Why is this important to me? Because cancer is a pain in the ass. Treatment is hard. And many cancer patients not only have to deal with the day to day difficulty of surviving, they also enter a whole new world of financial stress.
Aside from the obvious costs of insurance and co-pays and all that, there is the cost of getting to and from treatment. This isn't something that people generally think about as a huge cost for cancer patients, but it definitely can be. Many of the best cancer treatment facilities are located in major cities. For some patients, getting to their treatment facility can mean a long drive or even a flight. And some portions of treatment are DAILY.
Here are a few examples:
A good family friend from Pennsylvania was diagnosed with cancer that required a bone marrow transplant. They had to lower his white blood count to 0 prior to the surgery. He was in the hospital every day for several weeks to get the treatment he needed. The hospital was over 2 hours away from where he lives and travel with a low white count is generally NOT recommended.
Another cancer patient my mother just met is from Minnesota. Her cancer is so severe that the doctor in MN basically told her to go home and die. The hospital she found that WOULD provide treatment is in Boston so she has been living there for the past several months, away from her 12 year old son and husband.
Even for early stage breast cancer, many women undergo radiation. Radiation is a daily treatment. You have to be at the hospital every single weekday for about 4 weeks on average.
Can you imagine the extra cost of hotels and food and travel?
Now imagine that the cancer patient had to take an unpaid leave of absence from work to get these daily treatments so your income as a family was just halved.
Or maybe you're an unmarried cancer patient, so your income was just cut to ZERO.
I am lucky. I have great insurance. I live only 1.5 hours from my doctor. My husband and I make enough money to live very comfortably. And I've been able to work my way through 90% of treatment thus far. We are A-OK when it comes to the financial front.
But financial hardship is a reality for so many cancer patients. Bankruptcy is a reality for cancer patients.
And to me that is just insane. Dealing with finacial stress when your main goal should simply be getting healthy and surviving is INSANE.
This is why I've chosen the Hope Lodge. My hope is that by helping to support a facility that provides FREE lodging for cancer patients, we can help relieve some of that financial burden. And by taking away some of that financial burden, they can spend more of their time focusing on getting healthy.
If you'd like to learn more about the Hope Lodge, click on the link below:
HOPE LODGE
If you feel as though this is a worthy charity and would like to give, you can send a check made payable to 'ACS Hope Lodge' to:
Connie Wood
Pioneer Hi-Bred
151 St. Andrews Ct, Ste 910
Mankato, MN 56001
If you donate through this current fund raising effort, know that we will be applying for matching funds from my company so your donation COULD be doubled!
Thanks again for all your support.
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