Billions For The Cure, But No Help

I started my blog because I found a void when talking about cancer and dealing with the aftermath.

We so often hear about the struggles and the treatments of chemo and radiation, and horrible surgeries. 

But unfortunately some pretty important subjects aren’t getting as much attention as the should.

So many charities and organizations claiming to help women being diagnosed with breast cancer but really just using the deadly disease as a guise to make money.

Did you know anyone can open a charity?

The only thing really asked is to fill out some paperwork, get a tax I.D. number and wait for your state to approve your request. Even a convicted felon is allowed to get into the big business of asking strangers for money. There are really no restrictions.

I always believed in helping others that needed help. I spent time volunteering and gave money to different charities when I could because I thought It was going to help a person in need.

So when I needed help after my cancer diagnosis I thought finding help with my bills or even grocery money would be exactly what all these big name charities did for us.

Well I couldn’t of been more wrong because in the full two years of dealing with breast cancer including three surgeries in 1 month and six months of healing and not able to return to work.

 I wasn’t even able to collect a dime from any of these places.

I was lucky my husband worked for a company that donated money and gift cards to help us get things we needed that these charities refused us. 

My funds were depleting and after contacting more charities and organizations than I could count, so was my optimism.

With almost $60 billion dollars a year given in the name of breast cancer to charities and organizations and Susan Koman raising $420 million of it. We are still not any closer to finding 

a cure. 

Most of these organizations won’t even directly help a woman with breast cancer.The big charities I called or emailed told me they only have grants with money available to help with cancer research. 

I can still remember the day I called a charity for help, they said they did not actually give money but could find places near me that could help But why did they take donations on their website? 

Well after getting forwarded to another organization and another about five in all, on my last call I was sent back to the original charity. When I asked the man what his job actually was he had no answer, it was to give me other information of people that can’t help and it was exhausting, another endless search and no help in sight.

I tried other organizations and the common response was to fill out pages upon pages of paperwork then my story of and why I needed the help.Than a second part to this conditional help. It was only available during active treatments.

 So once you finished your chemo and radiation they don’t consider you in need anymore. 

None of these organizations collecting billions from people thinking their hard earned money will help a cancer patient. Most cancer patients won’t see a penny and I was one of them.

Even though so many of us can’t return to work immediately and have complications from surgeries or treatments.

Too bad they don’t know when you are in the midst of treatment’s your too sick to do anything like paperwork and asking someone for help for another thing, just makes a person feel more helpless. So seeing all the information they need from you is overwhelming.

I was competing against thousands of sick women to get money to pay for things like electricity and groceries.

Really? 

With the billions they raised I was finding none of this money actually was going to help women like me.They made it more about a competition between sick cancer patients to write the best story and pick the lucky few. 

It was absolutely barbaric.

I look forward to sharing more in my next entry.

To be continued in my next blog…….