breast cancer

Breast Cancer Charities of America – Help Now Fund

The Breast Cancer Charities of America – Help Now Fund is a program for current breast cancer patients, providing financial assistance for living expenses. Grants range in values of up to $1,000 based on the availability of funds AND needs of the applicant.

This foundation is committed to helping as many people as possible through their cancer related financial struggles with their Help Now Fund.
The Help Now Fund assists with:

rent or mortgage payments
utility bills (electricity, water, and/or gas)
cell phone bills
car payments.

***The Help Now Fund does not assist with transportation costs, food assistance, and cable/internet bills.

**Join our FREE private Breast Cancer Financial Help and Resources – Cancer Butterfly Facebook Group to ask questions, share info, and get in the info sharing first hand 🙂

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Breast Cancer Solutions Foundation

This foundation was created in 1998 to eliminate barriers to breast cancer treatment for patients experiencing financial hardship. Provides temporary financial assistance to eligible patients who are experiencing financial hardship as result of their treatment.A community with full access to breast cancer treatment. This foundation wishes to provide breast cancer patients with direct assistance, community referrals, and compassionate support.

Breast Cancer Solutions provides clients with the following services to protect access to breast cancer treatment:

Temporary financial assistance to ensure stable housing, transportation, adequate nutrition and the ability to pay for out of pocket medical expenses during treatment
Community-based patient navigation to other resources that provide further types of breast cancer support services
A one-stop resource for patients to receive compassionate support and mental health assessment and support

**Join our FREE private Breast Cancer Financial Help and Resources – Cancer Butterfly Facebook Group to ask questions, share info, and get in the info sharing first hand 🙂

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Do you understand how cancer grants work?

You could be missing out on a lot of financial help if you don’t fully understand how cancer financial grants work.

There are retro rules for each grant, “back door” ways to get approved even if they say the funding is closed for the specific grant you are needing to apply to, and different names for the drugs you may be receiving (grants may be listed under the brand name OR the generic name) …….

**Chemotherapy and drug co-payment assistance grants have specific time deadlines and depending on the Foundation program may only go retro for 30-180 days (some go a year retro) from your “approved” date, so it is VERY important to apply for these right away.

Make sure you fully understand how the grants work BEFORE applying for any grants!

Check out our…….

Chemotherapy and Drug Grant Overview Page to understand the entire process

**Join our FREE private Breast Cancer Financial Help and Resources – Cancer Butterfly Facebook Group to ask questions, share info, and get in the info sharing first hand 🙂

Click the compass below to check out all of our other FREE resources:

Dental tips during chemotherapy

This is a really important subject…. I posted about this subject about a year ago and feel it so important, that I will probably repeat this post every six months or so….

(this info will not only save your teeth, but save you a bundle in major dental work down the road)

Luckily I had a dental cleaning scheduled just before I had my first chemotherapy treatment and my dentist gave me a lot of great advice on how to take care of my gums and teeth during my chemotherapy treatment to treat my breast cancer.

He explained that chemotherapy can be very hard on our gums especially due to many of the chemotherapy drugs causing dry mouth. Dry mouth can lead to a host of dental problems including gum disease if dry mouth is left untreated!

I also found that my teeth and gums became VERY sensitive during chemotherapy treatment and unfortunately this lasted for several months after I completed chemotherapy. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to treat dry mouth, sensitive teeth and gums, and to improve dental health ……..

There are specifics on products I found to be very helpful during my treatment that you can read about by clicking below:

Click here to read more specifics on Dental tips for chemotherapy treatment

**Join our FREE private Breast Cancer Financial Help and Resources – Cancer Butterfly Facebook Group to ask questions, share info, and get in the info sharing first hand 🙂

Click the compass below to check out all of our other FREE resources:

The December 5th Fund

This is an amazingly inspiring fund that we stumbled across. Created to honor his wife who battled breast cancer for two years… this fund gives families of a cancer patients “one great day”.“The December 5th Fund was created to give families a chance to be a family again and to give them a great day full of wonderful memories that they can treasure long after the burden of cancer is gone.”

For the founder of this fund and his family, December 5 was a great day that they were able to spend as a family and have many small memorable moments. Down the road that special day is what launched his idea of “The December 5th Fund”.

Giving one day to a family dealing with cancer so they can just be a family and enjoy! The December 5th Fund team plans out a day full of fun small memorable moments for a family dealing with cancer.

While the family is out enjoying their day, their team of local volunteers and businesses across the city of St. Louis will make sure the family comes home to a pleasant and stress-free surprise.

It could be yard work completed, a spotless home, or household projects completed.

**Join our FREE private Breast Cancer Financial Help and Resources – Cancer Butterfly Facebook Group to ask questions, share info, and get in the info sharing first hand 🙂

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New Grant Foundations for spring!

Happy Spring time! We have run across some new grant Foundations that may be helpful to you! The Foundations are not new, we just newly became aware of them. So we wanted to be sure to pass on the information on these Foundations right away…..

Everything from Foundations that offer non-medical cost-of-living help, transportation, home care and child care costs. Grants for help with outstanding medical bills, mortgage payments, tuition assistance and providing financial assistance for vacations!

My motto is apply for any that you may qualify for …..the worst they can say is “no” 🙂

***Here is the list of Foundations that have been newly added to our Cancer Butterfly Foundation List (go down the list and start applying today!):

The Pink Fund A non-profit breast cancer organization that provides 90-day non-medical cost-of-living to breast cancer patients in active treatment for breast cancer, so they can focus on healing, raising their families, and returning to the workplace.

Apply thru website: https://www.pinkfund.org/

The Pink Fund

P.O. Box 603

Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303

By Phone: 877.234.PINK (7465)

The Pink Fund partners with The Mary Herczog Fund for Metastatic Breast Cancer Survivors The Mary Herczog Fund for Metastatic Breast Cancer Survivors was launched in her honor to provide six months of financial support to women in treatment for metastatic breast cancer. Metastatic survivors diagnosed under 40, as was Mary, and awaiting Social Security Disability, may qualify under The Pink Fund’s guidelines. Check back to our site on March 31, 2018 for the official launch, including details on qualifications and applications.

Apply thru website: https://www.pinkfund.org/2018/03/26/partners-address-metastatic-breast-cancer-community/

The Pink Fund / The Mary Herczog Fund for Metastatic Breast Cancer Survivors

P.O. Box 603

Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303

By Phone: 877.234.PINK (7465)

Cancer Care The Financial Assistance Program helps with treatment-related costs, such as transportation, home care and child care. The Co-Payment Assistance Foundation helps with insurance co-payments to cover the cost of chemotherapy and targeted treatments.

Cancer Care

275 Seventh Avenue

New York, NY 10001

By Phone: 800‑813‑HOPE (4673)

Call to apply: Call 800-813-HOPE (4673) and speak with a CancerCare social worker to complete a brief interview. They can be reached from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (ET) Monday through Thursday, and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (ET) on Friday.

The Angela Andrade Foundation Grants have ranged from paying outstanding medical bills, mortgage payments, tuition assistance and providing financial assistance for vacations.

You are eligible to apply to the Angela Andrade Foundation if:

You are a patient with metastatic breast cancer
You are receiving treatment within the United States
You are a permanent resident of the United States

In order to apply for a grant, an applicant must mail a completed application to the address indicated below.

Download the application here: https://angelaandradefoundation.blogspot.com/p/srchttpsdocs.html

Grants will be given in $1,800 increments. Grants will be given on an as needed basis. Recipients are selected monthly and must wait a year before applying for another grant from The Angela Andrade Foundation. The applicant must submit a completed application including confirmation from a healthcare provider (through a sealed letter). When possible, all grant payments will be made directly to service providers on behalf of the individual recipient. In some instances recipients may be eligible for reimbursement, but they must provide receipts prior to expense reimbursement.

The Angela Andrade Foundation

The Dallas Foundation

Reagan Place at Old Parkland 3963 Maple Avenue, Suite 390

Dallas, Texas 75219

(214) 741-9898
Email: angelaandradefoundation@gmail.com

American Cancer Society Breakthrough research. Free lodging near treatment. A 24/7/365 live helpline. Rides to treatment. And much more!

Call to see what all they can help YOU with for your specific situation.

Cancer Help line: 800-227-2345

American Cancer Society Road to Recovery Program

The program is intended to assist with cancer-related appointments. Patients must provide a 3 business day advance notice, not including the first date a ride is needed, when making requests. All arrangements must be made through the American Cancer Society Patient Services department. Patients should NOT contact volunteer drivers directly to request rides.

American Cancer Society Patient Services department must be notified immediately if a patient’s plans change and a ride is no longer needed. The program is subject to volunteer availability. A request will be submitted to determine if drivers are available.

Patients will be notified no later than one business day before the scheduled appointment to provide a status update on the request and if a driver was found. (Patients may be notified sooner than this.) If a volunteer driver is found, patients may be contacted by the driver the night prior to the appointment.

Please feel free to call the American Cancer Society’s Patient Services department with any questions. Our toll-free number is 888-227-6333.

American Cancer Society – Hope Lodge Each Hope Lodge offers cancer patients and their caregivers a free place to stay when their best hope for effective treatment may be in another city. Not having to worry about where to stay or how to pay for lodging allows guests to focus on getting better. Hope Lodge provides a nurturing, home-like environment where guests can retreat to private rooms or connect with others. Every Hope Lodge also offers a variety of resources and information about cancer and how best to fight the disease.

Check out webpage for more info: https://www.cancer.org/treatment/support-programs-and-services/patient-lodging/hope-lodge.html

**Join our private Breast Cancer Financial Help and Resources – Cancer Butterfly Facebook Group to ask questions, share info, and get in the info sharing first hand 🙂

Click here to check out our complete Cancer Butterfly Foundation Grant List

Click the compass below to check out all of our other free resources:

Join our Private Facebook group!

Join our “Breast Cancer Financial Help & Resources – Cancer Butterfly” Private Facebook Group!

This is a private facebook group where we share information and resources that will help you save money on your out of pocket cancer treatment costs from the comfort of your own home!

This is a group created by a Breast Cancer Survivor (Danielle Rivera) to help other Breast Cancer patients navigate through the financial side of cancer.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer 8 years ago at age 40 and had two young daughters at the time. I found the financial end of cancer to be very stressful and it caused me a lot of worry wondering how we would pay for my out of pocket cancer treatment expenses.

As I went through treatment I uncovered several ways to get help with my out of pocket cancer treatment costs and my hope is to help others who are burdened by this horrible disease and help ease their mind about the financial end of treatment.

I was able to save over $4,200 on my out of pocket cancer treatment costs by applying for Cancer grants and financial assistance that is available for cancer patients and I can show you how you can save too! This group is created so that cancer survivors and patients can share information with each other in order to help each other through the financial side of cancer….Welcome

Please feel to join and ask questions in our private facebook group – “Breast Cancer Financial Help & Resources -Cancer Butterfly”

Several New Grant Foundations

Great News! Several of our group members have shared information on programs that have helped them during their cancer treatment! So we wanted to be sure to pass on the information on these grants…..

Everything from Foundations that offer FREE Gasoline cards to cancer patients, FREE Gift cards to restaurants and retail stores to cancer patients, Grants for help with out of pocket costs relating to Breast Reconstructive Surgery, Grants to help with rent/mortgage, utilities, car payments, child care, medical expenses, food, dental, and medical co-pays!

Join our private Breast Cancer Financial Help and Resources – Cancer Butterfly Facebook Group to get in on the sharing first hand 🙂

***Here is the list of Foundations that have been newly added to our Cancer Butterfly Foundation List (go down the list and start applying today!):

Simple Loaf of Bread Gasoline gift cards are sent to those undergoing treatment to help ease the cost of the gas spent on trips to medical treatments.

SIMPLE LOAF OF BREAD

PO Box 403
Wilton, CA 95693

916-479-5052

slobcards@gmail.com

AIRS-Alliance in Reconstructive Surgery Grants for help with out of pocket costs relating to Breast Reconstructive Surgery. All grant applications for medical expenses relating to breast reconstructive surgery submitted through this process will be considered. Each applicant who has undergone a mastectomy will be considered for a grant, based on their application details and the support information received. All grants are awarded through an objective and nondiscriminatory selection process. Criteria for AiRS Foundation’s grants to individuals are based on the Foundations submission to the IRS at the time of its approval for 501(c)3 standing as a charitable foundation. Grants awarded may range from an individual’s medical bill co-pay to the full cost of reconstructive surgery, hospitalization, and other related medical expenses.

MAILING ADDRESS

3401 LEE PARKWAY, SUITE 1504
DALLAS, TEXAS 75219

PHONE

877-489-4877

E-MAIL

info@airsfoundation.org

Jill’s Wish Offers grants to help with rent/mortgage, utilities, car payments…….Jill’s Wish offers grants of up to $1500 on a rolling basis to cover non-medical living expenses for those with newly-diagnosed or terminal breast cancer. The grant is for your housing expenses (rent or mortgage), utility bills and any car payments. We pay your bills directly to the housing lender, landlord, utility company and auto loan holder, so you don’t have to worry. It is one more thing you can rest assured is taken care of while you spend time with friends and family and rest and recover.

Jill’s Wish

PO Box 7151

Louisville, KY 40257

(702) 237-9123

info@jillswish.org

The Tiffany Foundation Empowers people living with cancer with “Hope. Help. Now.” by making direct financial grants. These grants help to pay rents, medical expenses, transportation cost, child care, and other related expenses.

The Tiffany Foundation

10249 E Elmwood Dr.

Sun Lakes, AZ 85248

Phone: 602-300-5859

The Cancer Card Exchange Playing “The Cancer Card” by collecting and distributing gift cards to cancer patients. The Cancer Card Xchange distributes one-time gifts of various gift cards to verified cancer patients.

Apply thru their website: https://cancercardxchange.org/

FREE Dental Care If you can not afford dental care there are many free and low cost dental care programs in every state of the United States where you can get the care you need and you pay very little or nothing at all. You could be receiving all types of dental care including checkups, cleanings, fluoride treatments,caps, dentures, braces, fillings, dental implants, extractions and much much more.

check out their website: http://freedentalcare.com/

FreeDentalCare@FreeDentalCare.Com

Provision Project Spreading seeds of HOPE to the hurting. The mission of Provision Project is to provide financial relief to women in active treatment for breast cancer. The breast cancer battle is real. The news of diagnosis is hard to receive. Treatment is scary. And for some women, life has become nearly impossible. Marriages have ended. Jobs have been lost, or they’re too sick to work. Now, in addition to fighting for their lives, they are battling to keep up with the most basic of bills: food, rent, utilities, gas, medical co-pays. It’s heartbreaking. That’s why Provision Project was created. Provision Project makes a way for women in active breast cancer treatment to receive tangible help quickly. We hope you’ll join us.

Apply thru website: http://provisionproject.org/

Provision Project

PO Box 42066

Mesa, AZ 85274

Click here to check out our complete Cancer Butterfly Foundation Grant List

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Questions??? please feel to join and ask questions in our private facebook group – “Breast Cancer Financial Help & Resources -Cancer Butterfly”

Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips

This is a great read that I mentioned in last weeks post, if you are looking to kick start your New Year, Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips by Kris Carr in a very inspiring book about a cancer survivors journey.

Kris Carr is an actress and photographer who discovered she had a liver covered with cancerous tumors. Her inspiring book is a warm and funny tool for anyone diagnosed with cancer.

I found this book to be very uplifting and provided much needed hope through my own cancer journey through all the ups and downs and frustrations it can create.

She documents her interactions through her cancer journey with her friends, family, doctors, and other cancer survivors. She also provides tips on how to boost your immune system through the food you eat and provides recipes that worked for her. Kris Carr is very candid and inspiring about her cancer journey, she just says it like it is 🙂

Check out our other Cancer Butterfly Resources by clicking the compass below:

The Sun is Rising on a New Year

This time of year always prompts us to think about the things that are most important to us. We think about what really matters and what changes we would like to make for the upcoming year.

The stress of the holidays is over, but so are the many celebrations and events that keep us so busy. This is the time that things slow down and we have more time to reflect on our life.

For some people this is the most difficult time of year, getting back to the normal day to day activities of life. And if you are in cancer treatment that can be especially difficult.

It is important to still try to keep busy with family and friends as much as you are able. Sometimes during the holidays cancer patients can feel isolated. Friends and family may not know how to react to your illness and fear they will say the wrong thing.

If there is someone that you are wishing would contact you or you are wondering why they haven’t, this may be why. Reach out to them, it may be just what you both need.

Think about the year ahead and plan to do things that make the most of your energy, such as having a friend over the coffee when you don’t have energy to go out. Live in the moment and don’t feel obligated to live up to others expectations. Everyone experiences cancer treatment differently and only you know how you are feeling.

I remember when I was going through treatment eight years ago at this time of year, I had one more chemo treatment left and I had already found out that my previous five chemo treatments had shrunk my tumor quite a bit and my surgery to remove what was left was coming up right after my last chemo treatment. So I thought what a great idea it would be to just skip that last horrible chemo treatment!

Unfortunately, my doctor did not agree he said, “But how will you feel if down the road your cancer were to come back? You would always have to wonder if had you done that last chemo treatment, then maybe the cancer would not have returned.”

……..ugh! How could I argue with that?? He was right, as much as I didn’t want to endure the horrible side effects of that last chemo treatment, I sure didn’t want to have any regrets down the road about not doing it.

So, that year I started the year with my last chemo treatment and in the end it worked out ok. Eight years later I get to drive my 10 year old Emily to 4th grade, and my almost 14 year old Jessica to 8th grade! So glad I listened to my doctor and took his advice!

Take this time of year to slow down and realize the blessings of each day and celebrate the small things in your life.

This is a great read, if you are looking to kick start your New Year, Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips by Kris Carr. Kris Carr is an actress and photographer who discovered she had a liver covered with cancerous tumors. Her inspiring book is a warm and funny tool for anyone diagnosed with cancer. She documents her interactions through her cancer journey with her friends, family, doctors, and other cancer survivors. She also provides tips on how to boost your immune system through the food you eat and provides recipes that worked for her. Kris Carr is very candid and inspiring about her cancer journey, she just says it like it is 🙂