Today is #GivingTuesday- a Global Generosity Movement, and I am asking for your support in transforming the battle against stomach cancer (gastric cancer). Our vision is to bridge the gap between research and care – because only then will we be able to find a cure and end stomach cancer.
For the last 7 years, #GivingTuesday has been monumental and creating change for many nonprofits around the world. I’d like Hope for Stomach Cancer to join in this movement. Unfortunately, I have not had the time to be strategic so I’m going to open my heart and hope that’s enough.
Hope for Stomach Cancer is a small group of volunteers led solely by me—aka the “Master Volunteer”. We are the patients, caregivers, industry professionals, doctors, nurses, and stakeholders. This isn’t a philanthropic choice for of us- we have no choice but to face to this deadly cancer head on and it’s pretty awful. Personally, these last few months have been pretty difficult. I have lost several volunteers to this cancer and most of them were only in their thirties and forties. I sincerely thought I had more time with them and their passing were so unexpected (but unfortunately very much on cue with statistics). You see, statistics aren’t on our side. We are one of the orphan cancers that life is measured in MONTHS at diagnosis!
And then there are the lucky ones such as my dad. He is 6 years cancer free and considered clinically cured. But he is still a very sick man and horribly malnourished. The radiation that saved his life caused permanent damage to his pancreas and esophagus. He struggles with depression and spends a majority of his time at home, too weak to do much. I am his caregiver, and lately, I’ve been feeling like I’m failing my dad because I’m not there to monitor his calorie intake. You see, I’m also a first-time mom to a beautiful 2-year-old. My son is my life, and I only have so much time to give to my dad and the stomach cancer community.
So, what exactly will we do with your donation? For now, your donation supports our programs so that it is ALWAYS free for the patient and their loved-one. We have launched Hope-In-A-Bag to support recently diagnosed patients with organizational tools and navigational resources. We host a symposium once a year in the beautiful city of Los Angeles. We work tirelessly with other nonprofits to create more opportunities and programs. Lastly, we’d like to create jobs within the nonprofit in order to create a sustainable task force. As much as we love our volunteers, we need structure and true devotion. Once we achieve this, we’ll quickly dig deep into the research component of advocacy.
I truly believe that together we can bring Hope to a cancer that has very little. Thank you!