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The stress of fighting a blood cancer is high enough for any patient and family; to face financial stress due to the patient or a caregiver at home not being able to work makes it harder on everyone in the family. Read through the list below to find organizations that provide direct financial assistance for a variety of purposes for blood cancer patients.
Amy's Angels - provides comprehensive short and long-term assistance to individuals and their families dealing with the debilitating effects of serious illness or injury. Recommendation of a social worker, doctor, or nurse is required. Ann’s Place Fund – help for families dealing with any type of cancer (CT and eastern NY state), including counseling, support groups, and help with financial issues. B+ Foundation - Provides financial assistance and emotional support to families with a child fighting cancer. Brainard Fund – Administered through the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, this fund provides financial assistance to families who are in financial distress due to substantial medical bills from a serious or chronic illness. Serves families only in 29 towns in the greater Hartford region. CancerCare Financial Assistance – co-payments for chemotherapy and medications; transportation; home care; child care (funding areas may change) Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation - provides financial assistance for rent or utilities to families in which the cancer patient is a child; distributes gifts to children in hospitals; provides funding for a camp experience for children in remission. Application must be made through a hospital social worker. Children’s Leukemia Research Association - leukemia-related medical bills listed under Covered Treatments and Services Circle of Care - provides financial assistance for living expenses such as rent or mortgage, utilities, and transportation to families in which the cancer patient is a child. Applications must be made through a hospital social worker; applicants must be receiving treatment at Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital, CT Children’s Medical Center, or must be a CT resident who is receiving treatment in another state. Connecticut Cancer Foundation – financial assistance for rent/mortgage, utilities, transportation, medications, etc.; reference by hospital social worker needed Free Government Cell Phones – government Lifeline Assistance Program that gives free cell phones and free monthly service (including talk and text minutes) to those in need Friends of Karen – families in which cancer patient is a child; assistance with childcare reimbursement, travel reimbursement, hospital lodging, co-payments for illness-related items, and household expenses; limited to certain counties in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York Healing Meals Community Project – prepares and delivers organic meals for individuals and families (greater Hartford, CT) dealing with a health crisis Healthwell Foundation – Helps to close the gap for underinsured patients by providing financial assistance to help with prescription co-pays; health insurance premiums, deductibles, and coinsurance; travel costs for treatment; and pediatric treatment costs. HelpHOPELive – provides one-on-one fundraising help, bill pay support, and additional benefits based on our nonprofit status. Joe Andruzzi Foundation - financial and emotional assistance to families in New England, New York, and New Jersey; financial assistance is designed to help families cover basic living expenses, such as mortgage, rent, electricity, gas, oil, telephone, cable, or other similar expenses Lea’s Foundation for Leukemia Research - Medical Assistance program helps defray costs of treatment for blood cancers not covered by insurance; Life Assistance Program helps defray costs of non-medical expenses families face due to the treatment of a blood cancer. Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Co-Pay Assistance Program – insurance premiums and co-pay obligations Life Beyond Cancer - Information and links to programs that assist with paying bills not covered by health insurance. Lymphoma Research Foundation Transportation Financial Assistance - provides financial assistance to T-cell lymphoma patients who are uninsured or have adequate medical insurance but struggle to pay for transportation costs (e.g., mileage, parking, tolls, gas, train tickets, etc.) to get to and from treatment. Modest Needs - for families who are working but living just above poverty level, and are generally ineligible for most other types of social service assistance Needy Meds - information resource devoted to helping people in need find assistance programs to help them afford their medications and costs related to health care. Also offers a free drug discount card that may help patient obtain a substantially lower price on medications; card can be used instead of insurance or by anyone without insurance. Novartis Patient Assistance Program - assistance paying for Novartis medications Patient Access Network – support for patients that cannot access the treatments needed due to out-of-pocket health care costs. Patient Advocate Foundation / National Financial Resource Directory – searchable database of possible financial resources. Patient Advocate Foundation - serves as an active liaison between the patient and their insurer, employer or creditors to resolve insurance, job discrimination or debt crisis matters related to their diagnosis. Special program offers financial assistance to lymphoma patients who need help with co-pays for drugs that treat lymphoma, anemia, and neutropenia. Call Counselors assist patients with application process. Patients may receive up to $4,000 per year. Funds are limited, become available on the first of each month; patients may be reimbursed for previous expenses up to one year from grant award date. Pinky Swear Foundation - provides financial assistance for living expenses such as rent or mortgage, groceries, mortgage, car repairs, childcare, etc. to families in which the cancer patient is a child. Applications can be made by the family or through the healthcare provider; application is available online. The Bone Marrow Foundation - costs associated with transplants, such as donor searches, compatibility testing, bone marrow harvesting, medications, home and child care services, medical equipment, transportation, cord blood banking and housing; assistance with fundraising The Jane Lloyd Fund – day to day living expenses; limited to residents of Connecticut towns of Canaan, Cornwall, Falls Village, Kent, Salisbury and Sharon The Shannon Mosher Memorial Foundation – (for leukemia patients) expenses not covered by insurance The Susan Fund - provides educational scholarships to students who live in Fairfield County, CT and are diagnosed with cancer Town That Cares (West Hartford residents only) - Emergency funds may be offered for paying utility bills, rent, or medical expenses. Other resources include free food, shelter, and information on government benefits such as food stamps. Town That Cares is located at 50 South Main Street, West Hartford, Connecticut, dial 860-561-7561. Weber Foundation of Helping Hands – families in dire need; limited to Northeast US YouCaring - provides personal fundraising pages and fundraising coaching to help people raise money for out-of-pocket medical expenses including co-pays, travel and living expenses Zichron Schlome Refuah – assistance in a variety of areas, including medical expenses, housekeepers, mortgage/rent/utilities, insurance, transportation, vitamin therapy, and wigs
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The Leukemia Society
Information about treatments such as radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and stem cell transplant, as well as clinical trials National Cancer Institute Contains information written in two formats, one for patients and one for health care professionals Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Information about the treatment of all types of leukemias Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) Dana-Farber/Brigham & Women's Cancer Center Information about the treatment of all types of leukemias: Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) Cancer Treatment Centers of America Information about radiation therapy, chemotherapy, stem cell transplantation, biotherapy & immunotherapy, as well as complementary and alternative medicines. OncoLink Basic information about clinical trials. Clinical Trials Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
List of frequently asked questions from patients and families. National Cancer Institute Information about aftercare, including link to a booklet "Life After Cancer Treatment." Be The Match (National Marrow Donor Program) "Role of the transplant caregiver" describes what a caregiver should expect in his/her role, how the role changes over time, and what the caregiver can do to advocate for the patient. A Guide for Caregivers Published by staff at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Finding financial assistance Links to organizations that have a financial assistance program for patients and families. Cancer Support Community Ten tips for cancer caregivers that will help them take care of themselves while caring for someone with cancer. While a patient is undergoing treatment, it so often happens that many other things around the house go on the back burner, since treatment requires so much time and energy from the family as a whole. This is where friends and colleagues can step in and do many ‘little things’ that reduce the family’s stress and help them maintain some degree of normalcy in life.
Questions to ask your doctor when the diagnosis is first made:
Questions about cancer treatment options:
Questions to ask about treatment centers:
Questions to ask about long-term treatment at a center:
Questions to ask about insurance coverage and issues:
Cancer patients often benefit from incorporating other health practices into their lives, based on discussions with their doctors about the type of treatment they’re going through, their physical capabilities, and other physical conditions. Many of these health practices can also help alleviate stress experienced by family members and caregivers as they care for their loved one who is undergoing treatment. Explore some of the other health practices that might provide benefits for you and your support network.
Acupuncture National Cancer Institute – questions and answers about acupuncture and cancer American Academy of Medical Acupuncture – article by Dr. Eugene Mak “Acupuncture in Cancer Treatment” Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center – information for patients & caregivers about how acupuncture works, its uses, possible side effects, and who should be cautious about acupuncture Dana Farber Cancer Institute – article by Richard Saltus “Can Acupuncture Ease Cancer Symptoms?” Very Well – “Acupuncture for Cancer Patients” Reiki International Association of Reiki Professionals – “How Reiki Helps Cancer Patients” BeatCancer.org – “Reiki Healing and Cancer” Dr. Josh Axe – “What is Reiki and Can it Really Help Cancer Patients?” Massage MD Anderson Center – “The Benefits of Oncology Massage” MD Anderson Center – “Massage for Cancer Patients : 4 Tips to Find a Qualified Therapist” Society for Oncology Massage – “Client & Patient FAQ” Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center – “Power of Touch : How Specialized Massage Helps Cancer Patients” Cancer Council – “Types of Massage and Touch Therapies” Very Well – “Massage Therapy for People With Cancer” Yoga Yoga Journal – “Facing Cancer with Courage” (benefits and personal experiences shared by people who practiced yoga to help deal with the stresses of fighting cancer) The Guardian – “How yoga could ease cancer patients’ pain and fatigue” Psychology Today – “Yoga and quality of life for cancer patients” National Geographic – “New study shows yoga has healing powers” Very Well – “Benefits of yoga for cancer patients” Tai Chi Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center – “Tai Chi” CancerActive – “Tai Chi : the energy within” Ying Yang House – “Tai Chi found to reduce fatigue in patients undergoing chemotherapy” Reflexology Dana Farber Cancer Institute - “How can reflexology help cancer patients?” Susan G. Komen Foundation - “Reflexology” Lymphoma News Today - “Reflexology: Lymphoma” Mindfulness MD Anderson Center - “How mindfulness can help cancer patients find happiness” Cancer Network - “Mindfulness Meditation” Cancer Research UK - “Meditation” Positive Psychology - “MSBR: 25 Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Exercises and Courses” |
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