When thinking of how to help breast cancer patients, often the first thing that comes to mind are medical bills. That’s certainly useful, but the financial struggle of cancer sufferers can go beyond doctor and hospital bills. The burden the disease places on a household can make it hard to pay the mortgage, make car payments, and much more. Often, those fighting cancer have to take off work for extended periods of time to care for their health. Replacing that lost income can be a struggle.
Charities can aid these individuals in a number of ways that go beyond reimbursing medical costs. From grants for breast cancer patients to utility assistance programs, there are numerous means of lending a helping hand. Keep reading to learn how you can support breast cancer patients outside of just medical bills.
1. Utility Assistance
When seeking treatment for a life-threatening diagnosis, worrying about how you will keep the lights on can add stress. One way your organization can help patients and donate to breast cancer sufferers is through utility assistance. According to pinkfund.org, financial toxicity is something breast cancer patients experience and need assistance with. There are some programs in this area already, offered through both government agencies and well-established charities. Some of them are aimed at low-income households, a situation cancer patients might find themselves in due to loss of income. Other programs are available to those experiencing a medical crisis.
There are a number of existing programs you could donate to, or your organization could help with individual patients’ bills directly. You could create an application to assist those experiencing hardship. When you receive a request, your board can review and pay the bill. Another option is to partner with your local utility company to create a fund for this population.
2. Rent or Mortgage Payments
Keeping your lights on during a battle with cancer can be stressful. The anxiety of potentially losing your home is an even greater burden. Some patients amass higher credit card debt as they strive to pay their bills. Others feel that adding a second mortgage is the way to try to make it through hard times.
Your organization can help these patients avoid the financial anxiety of losing their home. You could launch a grant to enable them to cover one to three months of rent or mortgage costs. Donating to existing organizations that work in this area is also an option. So, too, is partnering with lending institutions or other financial services entities to provide matching grants.
3. Cleaning Services
When a patient is battling cancer, it can be a challenge to keep up with household tasks. Having a tidy and safe home is important in the recovery process. Not only is a clean home good for a patient’s mental health, various cancer treatments can leave the individual immunocompromised. This, in turn, can make them more susceptible to infection and illness. Squeaky clean, disinfected surfaces are thus critical for preventing opportunistic infections.
Your charity can donate to an existing organization that provides cleaning services to cancer patients. You could also partner with local cleaning companies to offer this assistance. A clean home allows a person to feel a sense of normalcy and dignity. It allows them to rest with that obligation taken off their plate.
4. Grocery Delivery
A nutritious diet and occasional comfort foods are an important part of the healing process. While some people have a huge network of friends and family who can shop for them and bring them food, others do not. If helping those battling cancer is close to your organization’s heart, providing groceries could make a large impact. Getting the food they need is difficult when patients are worried about paying for bills. They also might not be strong enough to walk through the grocery store and shop for themselves.
Putting the groceries away could also prove to be a chore. Your charity could help stock patients’ pantries in a number of ways. You could cover the cost of groceries and have volunteers shop and put away the food for the patient. If you’re thinking on a larger scale, you could partner with delivery services like Instacart or FreshDirect to provide gift cards.
5. Transportation to Appointments
It’s no surprise that those fighting cancer have a lot of doctor’s appointments. Some aren’t able to drive themselves at all, and others feel too poorly after treatment. Access to safe transportation shouldn’t be a hindrance in getting to the doctor. Assistance with transportation can be a huge relief to the patient and their family.
Your charity could organize a group of volunteers to offer this service locally. You could also supply gift cards to families experiencing this crisis with rideshare organizations like Uber and Lyft. Partnering with other groups or the American Cancer Society’s Rides Save Lives program is another chance to offer support.
Making a Difference to Those in Need
Offering aid to breast cancer patients is a noble mission for a charity. There are numerous ways your organization can lend a hand. No matter whether you’re a small nonprofit with a local footprint or a large one with a national presence, your work matters.
As with any service, the support you’re able to offer is predicated on people knowing it’s available. So spread the word about your work. Put together resource sheets for local hospitals. Have active social media pages and a well-designed and easy-to-navigate website.
These services are important and life-changing for people at a very scary time for both them and their families. By helping to provide them, your organization can make a big impact in people’s lives.