May 2020
Lesley Andrews
Director of Pathways
Rosie* is undergoing a grueling regiment of chemotherapy for breast cancer and can no longer work as a front-line health care worker at a skilled nursing facility. As a result, this single mom of two daughters is unable to make ends meet. In an effort to support her, The Pathways Financial Assistance Fund paid her utility and water bills.
Thank you to The Tutu Project for their generous grant that allows women with breast cancer much needed monetary support.
Maria* cannot continue her job cleaning houses because she is recovering from breast cancer surgeries and undergoing chemotherapy. She and her husband have two young children and are facing the grim reality of not being able to pay their bills. Pathways paid Maria’s gas and electric bills to alleviate some of the financial strain on her and her family.
Nadia* is unable to work to earn her salary of $500 per week due to her intensive breast cancer treatment. Her husband is unemployed, and they have three young children. Pathways helped Nadia pay her rent to help reduce some of the financial and emotional distress.
Since January, thanks to a grant from The Tutu Project™, an initiative of The Carey Foundation, Pathways provided financial assistance to Rosie, Maria, Nadia, and five other women with breast cancer in dire need of monetary support.
When a woman is diagnosed with cancer, the trauma of the diagnosis and the treatment that follows is life-altering. The financial impact can also be devastating. A woman with cancer is often confronted with mounting bills including rent, mortgage payments and medical, utilities and insurance bills. And now with the COVID-19 pandemic, the financial and emotional duress she faces is dramatically heightened. The Pathways Financial Assistance Fund plays a part in alleviating some of this duress.
On behalf of Rosie, Maria, Nadia and all the other women with breast cancer who received assistance from the Pathways Financial Assistance Fund so far this year, and all those who will be helped, we offer our gratitude to The Tutu Project™.
The Tutu Project™ is a breast cancer nonprofit that raises money to support those in need as they receive treatment and manage their diagnosis. The Pathways Financial Assistance Fund is part of The Connection’s Pathways Women’s Cancer Support program. The Pathways Fund also offers financial assistance to women with cancers other than breast cancer and who are in dire need of monetary support.
To donate to Pathways and support women in need, please click here.
* The names of women identified in this article have been changed to protect their privacy.
Want to learn more about The Tutu Project? Find out more here!