Making an Impact

In the busy world we live in it is often easy to ignore the possibility of a sudden onset of illness. It is easy to under-appreciate the job we go to Monday-Friday each week and our paycheck that may not provide us with a lot of luxuries, but at least pays the bills. It is easy to assume that you will continue to be able to walk out to your car, turn the key, and drive where ever you need to go. Until you are actually faced with a diagnosis of cancer, it is simply too easy to pretend that it will never happen to you or someone you love.

But for many cancer patients, their illness is almost all they can think about. The "normal" stuff of life like bills and groceries take a back seat at times. At Hope Cancer Resources, our mission is simple: We provide compassionate, professional cancer support and education in the Northwest Arkansas region today and tomorrow. Every day, we meet new patients at Highlands Oncology clinics in Washington and Benton counties. And every day someone finds out, after speaking to our staff, that a seemingly insurmountable obstacle might be smaller than they originally thought. We thought the holiday season would be a good time to share some of their stories.

E. is an fifty something breast cancer survivor. Over a period of about six years she has nursed two aging parents, lost one to illness, and experienced a double mastectomy herself as a result of her cancer diagnosis. Prior to her reconstructive surgery, E. experienced some not unexpected anxiety. As an independent and self-reliant woman, she was reluctant to share these feelings with friends. As her surgery drew near, she visited with one of our social workers and explored a number of the issues provoking her anxieties. According to her counselor, their sessions were tinged with poignant revelations and considerable humor. About two months after her surgery, E. made the following comment at the end of the session. “I like coming here. I’ve noticed that we don’t talk about my cancer anymore. We talk about life.” E. fully embraced all aspects of her life. Cancer was just one of them.

A 15-month-old child was diagnosed with cancer and the mother was required to take her child to Little Rock for treatments. One morning, when she was preparing to leave for Little Rock for an appointment, her car would not start. She quickly worked to find out if the car could be repaired and was told a part would have to be ordered. Desperate to get her baby to the appointment, she called us. We were able to help her rent a car for the trip and pay for fuel that day so the family could get to the appointment.

M. is a 45 year old woman that we met after her diagnosis of colon cancer. She had suffered a traumatic brain injury several years before and had been forced to go on disability as a result. Her husband was also out of work due to being laid off his job of many years. Due to the couple living on a very limited income they were concerned about the cost of driving the 100-mile round trip for the numerous doctor appointments, scans and chemo treatments that would be required for her treatment. Our social worker was able to provide the couple with fuel assistance to and from these appointments which helped ease the financial strain caused by the patient’s illness. The social worker continued to check in with the couple as they were suffering from emotional distress as well. The patient’s husband shared that his wife enjoyed these conversations and even looked forward to them as she was isolated due to her illness. After the patient finished her treatment the couple expressed their extreme gratitude not only for the financial support, but also the emotional support provided by the social worker and the entire Hope Cancer Resources team.

A 1-year-old boy diagnosed was with a fast-growing, highly malignant tumor. A social worker at Arkansas Children's Hospital gave our phone number to his grandparents - his legal guardians - as they were in need of financial assistance. The grandmother had recently lost her job due to the amount of time she needed to take off work to drive to Little Rock for her grandson's treatments. Recently, the grandfather was laid off and has been on unemployment looking for another job. They were starting to fall behind on bills and needed assistance. The grandfather told our social worker that the biggest needs were rent, car payment, utilities and food. We referred him to local food pantries for essential items, and we assisted with their rent, car payment, a water bill and gasoline to help them get the child to his medical appointments in Little Rock.

Gifts made to Hope Cancer Resources throughout the year - no matter the size - all contribute to the success of these patients and hundreds of others who turn to us when they need assistance as they undertake one of the most difficult journeys of their lives: the journey toward becoming a Cancer Survivor.

$10 pays for a necessary prescription. $25 provides a gasoline card to a patient who might not get to their treatment without it. $50 pays a water bill. $100 pays a gas bill. $250 provides a car payment. $500 pays a mortgage for a month. Every dollar of every gift is put directly to use in Northwest Arkansas, allowing us to assist patients and their families with our no-cost services throughout the year.

Since January of this year, we have made an impact on the financial and emotional well-being of over 2,000 individuals in our community.

• Prescription assistance in the amount of $40,749 provided directly, with additional assistance valued at $156.244 offered through pharmaceutical companies.
• Emergency financial assistance in the amount of $169,934 provided to patients to pay for utilities, rent/mortgages, and car payments.
• $52,395 in gas cards distributed to patients to help with travel to and from appointments.
• Our Save-A-Life program provided 503 cancer screenings valued at $318,301 to uninsured and under-insured patients whose physicians ordered procedures they could not afford.
• 537 hours of Spanish interpretation services were provided to Spanish-speaking patients at medical appointments related to their cancer diagnosis.
• Our transportation service drove patients 119,608 miles to and from their appointments.

We hope that as you consider your charitable giving for 2012, you will put Hope Cancer Resources on your list. Whether it be a one-time gift or a recurring monthly donation, we - and the people we serve - are truly grateful for your generosity. We do what we do because of donors like you, and for patients like these: 

“Hope Cancer Resources went above and beyond when helping me. I can’t think of a single thing you could have done to make me feel any more important, personal, loved and taken care of.”