TEAM CHAD CURRENTLY BENEFITS

THE HEMATOLOGY HELPING HANDS FUND

The Hematology Helping Hands Fund is in its first year of inception and here are several patient stories and “Thank You’s”:

Quarterly Update - January 2010

Thank You Note 4

Thank You Note 5

Thank You Note 6

Thank You Note from LLS

Homeless and alone, he came to Vanderbilt-Ingram, aware that he had a lot more to worry about than where he would find his next meal. Something was very wrong; he needed to find out why he was feeling so tired all the time. He was diagnosed with lymphoma. What could he do? He had no money and no one to turn to. At Vanderbilt-Ingram, the social worker coached him through applying for disability. She found a hotel room for him, using the Hematology Helping Hands Fund to pay for the first month of his hotel bill so that he would have a place to stay until his disability check came through. He was no longer alone; someone cared.

A young couple in their early 20’s settled temporarily in a small apartment in Nashville while he awaited a much-needed stem-cell transplant. They brought their two sons, ages 2 and 3, with them, keeping the family together during this difficult time. They knew the boys would miss their home in the country near their grandpa’s trailer. The boys were accustomed to playing outside all day with grandpa watching, while their parents were at work. A couple of months passed, and the hematology team could tell that the family needed a break from the waiting and the cramped quarters where they were staying. Thanks to the Hematology Helping Hands Fund, the family members were given tickets to the Nashville Zoo. Their parents watched as the boys romped and roamed through the tree house jungle gym and ran along the paths from one animal display to another. It was a day of feeling free and happy again. The young man has relapsed now, less than 60 days from transplant. He is holding on to the memories of that day at the zoo.

A gentleman preparing for chemotherapy collected his stem cells much earlier than anticipated and arrived in Nashville. He had not made arrangements for lodging, and since his wife does not drive “in the big city,” he needed to find a hotel near Vanderbilt or one that offered shuttle service to Vanderbilt. It proved to be a real problem to find this, especially with their limited funds. Much to their mutual relief, the Helping Hands Fund came to their assistance and paid their hotel bill so that he could receive the treatment he needed at that critical time.

HHHF Helping Stories for Team Chad Quarter Ending June 2009

Thank You Note 1

Thank You Note 2

Thank You Note 3

A 40-year-old female was battling an incurable situation, with a relapse of acute myeloid leukemia. She was transferred to our center for further treatment, and when she arrived, she came with her 2 boys in tow. The boys had been brought to Nashville for their mom to receive the care she needed. Nashville was a strange environment for them; they were surrounded by strange people; their mother didn’t have the energy and strength to be the mom they had always known. Our plan had been to offer comfort care to her in this last stage of her battle with cancer, but she challenged us to take a look at her boys and then ask ourselves how we could give up. All she wanted was to spend some quality time with her boys and family. By special arrangement, the Helping Hands Fund made it possible for them to spend a day as a family at the Nashville Zoo. It was a day of laughter and fun and delight, and memories that would last way beyond a lifetime.

A patient who was originally from Egypt had been battling language and cultural barriers, and now she was facing the most dreaded battle of all; she had been diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia. She was feeling very alienated and alone. Vanderbilt-Ingram social workers to get her family here so she could have a social support system in place before moving forward with a transplant. Although the circumstances of her disease never gave us a real chance to obtain a transplant for her, she endured various chemotherapy regimens aimed at abating her cancer. The Helping Hands Fund was able to provide peace and comfort to the patient by making her COBRA payments during her care and thus relieving her and her family from financial stress.

A 37-year-old female was recently in induction and consolidation chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia. Her treatments required a full extraction of her teeth. After the extraction, the patient was depressed, saying that without her teeth she felt and looked like an 80-year-old woman. She was not working at the time, and she had no money to purchase a set of dentures. The social workers promised her that they would try to find money to help her buy a set of dentures so that she could feel more “like herself” again and find relief from the depression that was gripping her. The Helping Hands Fund was able to give her $500 so that she could buy herself a set of teeth. She was so excited and grateful, and she could smile again!

A gentleman who had twice received a transplant developed graft versus host disease in his eyes and was in need of special sunglasses for both indoor and outdoor use. The Helping Hands Fund gave him $120 so that he could purchase the sunglasses he needed to protect his vision and to continue normal activity. That small amount of money enabled him to maintain his independence.

One of our patients was from out-of-state, and his caregiver came here whenever possible and stayed with him in his room for days on end. They had developed a very strong bond, and the patient relied on the presence of the caregiver to provide the caring support he needed as he underwent his treatment. The caregiver relayed through a social worker that it would be very helpful to her to have access to a hotel room so that she could shower and do laundry. The Helping Hands Fund provided her with a week of lodging at a nearby hotel so that she could continue to visit our patient. She also offered the hotel room as a refuge for his family so that they could visit him as well.

A young female patient with a young son was desperately in need of funds to help provide for her son while she underwent treatment. In response, the Helping Hands fund gave her family $500 to use as needed. Sadly, the young mother passed away just after the gift was made. The gift, however, allowed her husband to be able to afford a funeral for her, an important step toward healing the family’s grief and honoring the memory of this young wife and mother.

A male patient was required to have several root canals and fillings before he could be approved to undergo prescribed cancer treatment. He did not have dental insurance because he was on disability and was unable to work, so being able to afford these expensive procedures was an impossibility for him. He took advantage of a “Free Clinic Day” at a local dentist’s office, but he was not able to have all the work done that he needed at that visit. Since it was determined to be less expensive to have his teeth extracted than corrected, and since the patient was agreeable to this choice, the Helping Hands Fund paid for his teeth extraction. He was then able to enter his treatment program sooner and begin the process that would lead to his recovery.