Resources for Breast Cancer Recovery

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month is back, serving as an important reminder to stay on top of recommended health exams, including annual mammograms and breast MRIs depending on your age and level of risk. However, it’s also a time dedicated to supporting those currently fighting the disease. On top of the physical toll, a major challenge many patients face is the tremendous associated costs. Like many long-term treatments, breast cancer care can demand more resources than some can afford—to the point that it can be a detriment to their livelihoods and even their health.

Enter Pink Fund, a charity founded in 2006 that is providing crucial financial assistance to patients in need. In fact, it has given over $9 million total since its inception, all thanks to generous donations. And with continued help, it can keep working to fund the fight.

An essential mission

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women and is the second most fatal, falling behind only lung cancer. It can affect people of any background and financial status—whether or not they have insurance, a flexible work schedule that accommodates their health-care needs, or sufficient savings to pay for treatment. Sadly, this means that a sudden diagnosis can not only transform someone’s health but also put their finances in crisis.

For these reasons, Pink Fund cofounder Molly MacDonald made it her mission to help breast cancer patients in need. But she wasn’t just sympathetic toward them—she had once been in their shoes. Upon being diagnosed in 2005, she underwent chemotherapy and soon found herself wondering how to balance the health effects of her treatment with its perpetually demanding costs. “I was left with an insurance responsibility of $1,350 a month to cover my treatment, had no savings, and had no child support or alimony after a previous divorce,” she says. “Our home went into foreclosure, and creditors threatened to repossess my car.”

MacDonald explains that she experienced financial toxicity, a side effect of breast cancer that, while not physical, may be just as devastating. “Between the digestive issues, limb numbness, cognitive impairment, and other symptoms of cancer treatment, patients often can’t work,” she notes. “They might find themselves struggling to pay for their basic living expenses, much less treatment.” As a result, they may come to a difficult decision: reducing their treatment sessions or ceasing them altogether. She adds, “Some choose to go back to work just to avoid leaving their families financially bereft.”

While undergoing chemotherapy, MacDonald conversed with working women like herself who were on unpaid leave for treatment and realized just how widespread such financial struggles were. She recounts thinking, “Why isn’t anybody doing something about this? Maybe someone should start an organization to help pay these bills and provide patients with a financial bridge.”

And that’s exactly what she did.

Making a difference

After successfully beating breast cancer, MacDonald worked with her husband to brainstorm a logo, create a website, and generate publicity for their new organization, which became an officially recognized charity in 2006. It expanded at an extraordinary rate, especially once it caught the attention of the Ford Motor Company. While Pink Fund has its roots in MacDonald’s home state of Michigan, she knew that breast cancer treatment woes weren’t relegated to the region—and Ford (the first of many corporate donors) provided the exact support needed to maximize impact.

The auto company first invested in a national ad campaign, then funded a national TV launch to spotlight Pink Fund before a wider audience. It also manufactured thousands of T-shirts to sell on its famous Warriors in Pink website, resulting in additional revenue for the charity. Thanks to the support and attention it gained as a result of these efforts, it was able to roll out an online application process, and more requests for assistance quickly flooded in.

Pink Fund now makes a difference for thousands of breast cancer patients, helping to pay for their housing, transportation, insurance costs, and more. And just like the disease that makes its work essential, the charity doesn’t discriminate: it supports everyone who qualifies for assistance, provided that they’re in active treatment for breast cancer (undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, a mastectomy, or a lumpectomy) and can demonstrate a need for financial support.

Further, Pink Fund offers specific programs, such as one for women suffering from metastatic cancer. Because these patients may need treatment for the rest of their lives, it gives them an added layer of support: up to $6,000 for up to six months. And as the organization has grown, it has begun providing aid for male patients in need too. “The greatest challenge for men is that there’s not enough education about male breast cancer,” MacDonald says. “So when they’re finally diagnosed, they may be at a later stage and can have a higher mortality rate.” Such a reality emphasizes the importance of support for this demographic in particular.

The power of a helping hand

MacDonald points out that breast cancer charities is a saturated space, with the majority of organizations focusing on spreading awareness and funding research—crucial efforts in the fight against the disease. “But what makes Pink Fund different,” she says, “is that we offer more direct, concrete help to families.”

The impact of immediate financial assistance can’t be understated. “When you find out you have cancer, the tears come, you’re scared, and you don’t know what’s going to happen,” MacDonald recounts. “But people reach out to us all the time saying we saved them from losing their homes. We get a lot of comments like ‘Thanks to your support, I’m crying happy tears for the first time in a long time.’”

For more info, visit pinkfund.org or donate here