Special Love has compiled these additional resources to assist families in obtaining the assistance they need as they deal with their child’s cancer.
Education & Knowledge:
Triage Cancer® is a national, non-profit organization that provides free education on legal and practical issues that may impact individuals diagnosed with cancer and their caregivers, through events, materials, and resources. The Legal & Financial Navigation Program offers one-on-one help with issues such as work, health and disability insurance, finances, and estate planning. Cancer Finances is an online toolkit to help people manage finances after a cancer diagnosis.
Special Love is honored to be partnering with Triage Cancer in 2024 for their Webinar Series! These webinars were created with the intention of helping families with their cancer reduce stress when it comes to their care. View the upcoming webinars here.
Financial Assistance:
Bone Marrow & Cancer Foundation
The Bone Marrow & Cancer Foundation, founded in 1992, is dedicated to improving the quality of life for cancer and transplant patients and their families by providing vital financial assistance, comprehensive resources, educational information, physician referrals, and emotional support programs.
B+ Foundation provides financial assistance to families of children with cancer across the United States, as well as funds childhood cancer research.
CancerCare is a national non-profit organization that provides free professional counseling. educational programs, financial assistance, and practical help to people with cancer, their loved ones and the bereaved.
DC Candlelighters is an all-volunteer organization providing emotional, educational, practical, and financial support to families of children fighting cancer. They strive to provide a light in the darkness because they believe no family should face the uncertain world of childhood cancer alone.
HealthWell Foundation is a leading non-profit dedicated to improving access to care for America’s underinsured. When health insurance is not enough, they fill the gap by assisting with copays, premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses,
Just TRyan It seeks to positively impact the lives of families whose children have been diagnosed with cancer by providing them with financial assistance. They strive to instill the importance of philanthropy and service, promote wellness, and inspire tomorrow’s leaders to make a difference in their communities.
Pinky Swear’s mission is to help kids with cancer and their families with financial and emotional support.
PAF is a non-profit that provides direct case management services and financial assistance to patients and caregivers. These include helping people navigate the health care system, working with health care providers, payers, and employers to assure that patients have access to affordable care, financial and co-pay assistance and teaching self-advocacy to patients and caregivers.
Home Modifications:
This non-profit helps to fill in the gaps, grant wishes, and meet non-medical needs for children who are seriously ill, have special needs, or are in a medical crisis. The children blessed, celebrated, and loved in honor of Julia Grace are lovingly called “Raindancers” because despite the storms they face every day, they have learned to “Dance in the Rain” just like Julia Grace.
Housing & Transportation:
Believe in Tomorrow Children’s Foundation
The Believe in Tomorrow Children’s Foundation provides exceptional hospital and respite housing services to critically ill children and their families. They believe in keeping families together during a child’s medical crisis, and that the gentle cadence of normal family life has a powerful influence on the healing process.
National Children’s Cancer Fund
The National Children’s Cancer Fund helps alleviate the financial burden of travel and lodging for families who have a child with cancer. This includes transportation expenses such as mileage, airfare, and lodging when a child needs to stay near the hospital for treatment and nonprofit lodging is unavailable.
RMHC provides essential services (such as housing & transportation) that remove barriers, strengthen families and promote healing when children need healthcare by keeping families with sick children together and near the care and resources they need.
Programming:
Cool Kids Campaign is devoted to improving the quality of life for pediatric oncology patients and their families by focusing on the academic, social, and emotional needs brought on by a cancer diagnosis.
At Casey Cares, their mission is to lift the spirits of everyone affected by childhood illness through programs such as Celebration Vacations, Birthday Blasts, and Caring Connections. Connecting with families where they life.
Support:
Blood & Marrow Transplant Information Network
The Blood & Marrow Transplant Information Network provides answers, advice, and a caring companion throughout your transplant journey. Their website includes extensive information about what to expect before, during and after a transplant.
The CancerConnect Community is a fully moderated, peer-to-peer support group for cancer patients and caregivers. Connect with other patients in your community and from leading cancer centers to learn, share information, and support each other.
As the largest professionally led nonprofit network of cancer support worldwide, the Cancer Support Community (CSC) is dedicated to ensuring that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action, and sustained by community. This global network of 175 locations includes CSC and Gilda’s Club centers, health-care partnerships, and satellite locations that deliver more than $50 million in free support services to patients and families.
CaringBridge transforms your personal connections into support when you need it most, providing personal websites where people can share updates during any type of health event. A CaringBridge website allows you to share news quickly and easily, while ensuring that your privacy is always protected. Through a CaringBridge website, everyone can leave messages of support and encouragement. They also provide a Planner that helps loved ones coordinate care and organize daily tasks, such as bringing a meal, taking care of pets or driving to appointments.
Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation
Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation’s mission is to improve the treatment, quality of life, and long-term outlook for children and families affected by a brain or spinal cord tumor. CBTF offers monthly online chats for caregivers, brain tumor survivors, and for bereaved caregivers. These chats are moderated by CBTF social workers but topics follow the needs expressed by the families and survivors who join them.
Imerman Angels partners individuals seeking cancer support with a “Mentor Angel.” These one–on–one relationships inspire hope and offer the chance to ask personal questions and receive support from someone who is uniquely familiar with the experience. They help navigate the system, determine the family’s options, and create their own support systems. Support is also provided to those who have lost someone to cancer and is looking to speak to someone who has had the same experience. All Mentor Angels are properly screened and trained.
NEGU connects with families, brings awareness to their stories, offers them a network of helpful resources, and sends the entire family encouragement throughout their journey. ClubNEGU is free for all Courageous Kids, their Super Sibs and parents. Each ClubNEGU family receives fun boosts of hope, joy, and love each month. They also have access to our free smart phone app iNEGU, national resource guide, and get their story shared on social media.
Life with Cancer helps you meet the challenges of living with cancer by providing you and your loved ones with education, information, and support, free of charge, no matter where you live or receive treatment.
A Facebook page where you can share information about your situation and receive support from other moms.
Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC)
PEATC empowers families and individuals with disabilities through education, training, and helpful resources for IEP/504/working with schools. They accomplish this by offering services and support for families and professionals, research-based information and training, opportunities for strategic partnerships, and advocacy for systemic improvement. The overall goal for supporting families is to maximize their capacity, strengths and unique abilities.
Zach’s Bridge provides 1:1 peer support for advanced and bereaved pediatric cancer caregivers. Their goal is to ease the journey and give the entire family comfort and time to focus on what truly matters to them. They match trained peers with support-seeking parents and caregivers to engage in thoughtful conversation, shared experiences, and curated resources.