3/15/10—Terry Hoelz, a Ridgeview Medical Center registered nurse and breast care coordinator, recalls a 40-year-old mother who could no longer work following her treatment for breast cancer.
“The family had three teenagers to support and a husband who had been laid off,” Hoelz says. “The financial need was so obvious I wished we could have boosted them over a hurdle or two. Gas, groceries, essential living expenses—so many simple things we could help with, during an incredibly difficult time.”
Fortunately, for patients like the mother Hoelz recalls, financial support is now a possibility. Ridgeview Medical Center was recently awarded a $10,000 grant from the Hope Chest for Breast Cancer® Foundation and $5,000 in matching funds to establish an emergency assistance fund for underserved women touched by breast cancer.
A patient's journey with breast cancer is difficult, not just from the disease, but from life itself. For breast cancer patients, the financial and emotional hardship affects the entire family. Many times, a two-income household becomes one, making daily living expenses a burden. Ridgeview's Hope Chest for Breast Cancer Emergency Assistance Fund will provide financial support for patients with the greatest need.
“Our hope is that this support is as uplifting for patient and family as the care they receive from Ridgeview,” says Lisa Hurt, Ridgeview's director of Home Health Services and Oncology Service Line leader.
An average of 400 new cancer cases are diagnosed and/or treated through Ridgeview’s Cancer Care Program each year. Of those, more than 100 are breast cancer cases. Ridgeview’s front-line care providers see first-hand the struggles along a patient's journey with breast cancer.
“This grant provides an opportunity for Ridgeview to extend additional care and compassion to its breast cancer patients, hopefully alleviating some of the daily stress while an individual is navigating through a health crisis,” explains Hurt.
Cancer Care at Ridgeview
For more than a decade, Ridgeview's comprehensive Cancer Care Program has earned approval from the American College of Surgeons (ACoS) Commission on Cancer a distinction only one in four cancer care programs has received. Diagnosis, treatment, education and other support services are located on the Ridgeview campus in Waconia by a multidisciplinary care team including physicians who are board certified in medical oncology and hematology, radiation oncology, pathology, radiology and surgery.
Ridgeview Medical Center cares for the whole person. Support groups and educational opportunities are ongoing. To learn more about cancer services at Ridgeview, upcoming events or emergency assistance funds, call Lisa Hurt at (952) 442- 2191, ext. 6009, or e-mail lisa.hurt@ridgeviewmedical.org.
About the Hope Chest for Breast Cancer Foundation
Founded in 2001, Hope Chest for Breast Cancer provides funds for the underserved local families touched by breast cancer, early detection education and screening focusing on diverse populations. Hope Chest raises critical resources through the sale of upscale furniture, accessories and designer clothing donated by individuals, corporations and small businesses at the Hope Chest for Breast Cancer Retail Shops.
The Twin Cities Hope Chest retail stores are located in Orono and St. Paul. For more information, or to make a donation, visit www.hopechest.us.