Jack, age 24, was born and raised in Naples, FL. He was living on his own, going to school at FSW and in the process of transferring to FGCU when he was diagnosed with unimaginable testicular cancer, stage III. As he began to navigate his way through the many appointments, tests, and doctors, he realized quickly that he could not do it on his own. He moved back home with his mother and younger brother. Unable to work with the many trips to Moffitt Cancer Center for surgery and chemotherapy, Jack found himself having difficulty paying for his car payment and affording basic needs. Jack’s mother’s work hours were cut due to COVID making her unable to help with his vehicle. Jack reached out to CAN, and we quickly began moving forward with car payments as well as Publix and Walmart gift cards. CAN recently reached out to Jack for an exit interview to see how he was doing. We are happy to report that Jack is doing well with his cancer treatments. When asked if he had any recommendations for CAN’s programming, he mentioned a mentor program. We probed for more information, he was able to discuss how he came across an organization called Imeran Angels, a non-profit established to help others by providing a “Mentor Angel”, someone who has been in the same cancer position, to help lend support and empathy to a newly diagnosed cancer patient. This new resource is a great one for CAN to add to our resource list. CAN has reached out to Imeran Angels to request brochures in both English and Spanish.
For nearly 20 years, generous support from our community has made it possible for CAN to help individuals like Jack, and that assistance is critical to everything we do at Cancer Alliance Network.
Thanks to contributions from individuals who give so much, we have helped over 1,200 children and adults battling cancer in our local communities. For families and individuals on the verge of not being able to keep the lights on at home or pay necessary bills, CAN’s financial assistance is precious. It preserves human dignity and helps them focus on fighting their cancer battle with peace of mind. Facing a world of unknowns and being forced to make life-changing medical decisions, as well as dealing with mounting pressures of everyday living expenses, CAN helps, when there is nowhere else to turn.
You CAN help to support the journeys of so many of our neighbors by making a gift to Cancer Alliance Network today. Your gift will provide greatly needed resources to a local family or individual who is currently experiencing a cancer diagnosis.
