Cancer Survivors
Cancer Patient ‘Blessed’ by Financial Assistance During Health Crisis
Read on to see how the Blessing Foundation is helping Glenn Ford and others like him
Donate Now
Financial hardships compound the stress already felt by cancer patients
The Blessing Foundation’s Cancer Center & Radiation Services Fund helps alleviate that stress
Glenn Ford was in so much pain, he could barely walk. Diagnosed with Stage 4 liver cancer this past Thanksgiving, he learned in early March that the cancer had spread to his spine.
A metastatic spinal tumor was causing excruciating and relentless pain.
Glenn, 63, required emergency radiation therapy at the Blessing Cancer Center, a course of treatment that was going to take 10 days.
He and his wife, Linda, live in Macomb, and it was going to be nearly impossible to drive back and forth to Quincy for the treatment. Linda doesn’t drive, and even if she could, Glenn’s extreme pain would have been intolerable during the long rides.
Other transportation options weren’t feasible because of the couple’s financial difficulties. Glenn hasn’t been able to work since his diagnosis and while he gets temporary disability benefits, it’s not enough to pay monthly bills, let alone an extra expense.
The Blessing Foundation came to their aid.
‘They Take a Weight Off Your Shoulders’
Grants from the Foundation’s Cancer Center & Radiation Services Fund allowed the Fords to stay at the Quincy Hospitality House and receive meals from the Blessing Hospital cafeteria during Glenn’s radiation treatments. The Fund also helped the Fords with a rent payment, medications, nutritional supplements, and gas assistance.
“They really surprised me,” Glenn said. “It was very helpful.”
Linda, who had only been married to Glenn for two weeks when he got his cancer diagnosis, says the situation has been painful for them both. She urges anyone who suspects their significant other is having health issues to insist on a visit to the doctor. She’s thankful that Glenn was able to get the emergency treatment he needed at Blessing. She’s equally appreciative of the kindness shown to them both during such a trying time.
Glenn is feeling much better and is able to walk again after the radiation treatments. He’s now able to receive ongoing cancer treatment closer to his home, but he’s forever grateful to Blessing.
“I’ve been getting blessed from Blessing,” Glenn said. “This has helped me out tremendously. They take a lot of weight off your shoulders.”
‘We Try to Cover Every Possible Need’
Glenn is just one example of how the Cancer Center & Radiation Services Fund allows patients to focus on what’s important – their health.
A cancer diagnosis is gut-wrenching. The stress can be overwhelming – from the uncertainty of what lies ahead to dealing with the physical, mental, and emotional effects of cancer and its various treatments. Add to that the financial hardship that some patients face, and it’s almost too much to bear.
Because of generous donors, the Blessing Foundation can relieve the financial strain and allow patients to put all of their energy into getting better.
“We try to cover every possible need the patient has within reason to ease their worries while they are being cared for by us,” says Rosie Baskett, office coordinator, Blessing Cancer Center. “The main types of requests that I have made to the Blessing Foundation go along with our goal of keeping a roof over the patient’s head, utilities on, food on their table, medications available to them, ability to contact them, and a way to get back and forth to appointments.”
‘We Fill In the Gap’
Transportation is a major need for cancer patients. Quincy Transit Lines and RSVP help the Blessing Cancer Center tremendously by offering rides to appointments. Pittsfield area patients can get transportation assistance thanks to two patient transport vans purchased by The Blessing Foundation for Illini Community Hospital.
For other patients, gas cards from the Foundation are a godsend.
“I’ve been told on multiple occasions if it wasn’t for the gas assistance, they would not be able to come back and forth, specifically for radiation as a lot of times these treatments are daily – Monday through Friday – for some as long as seven or eight weeks,” Baskett said.
“We have helped cover rent and house payments, utilities, a cell phone bill or actually purchased a cell phone with minutes so we have the ability to contact the patient and the patient can contact us,” she said. “We have patients who are pending a Medicaid application and have no insurance, so we fill in the gap by helping to cover the medications they need. We’ve helped with car payments, car repairs, tires. We have purchased a bed for a patient who had no bed – he was sleeping on a couch.”
Baskett recalls a patient who didn’t have the strength to get back and forth to radiation and chemotherapy treatments from his rural Adams County home. Like Glenn, this patient was given a room in the Quincy Hospitality House and offered meals to help maintain his weight. He also got help with nutritional supplements and medication until his benefits from the Veterans Administration kicked in.
And with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Blessing Cancer Center staff is helping in other meaningful ways.
“One of the staff members in the Infusion Center offered to buzz his hair for him in the Appearance Center since he is not able to get it buzzed due to shops being closed down,” Baskett said.
‘They Show You So Much Concern’
Glenn Ford wants to spread the word about the care he received – not just the medical care from Blessing Health System providers and health care workers, but also the compassionate care shown by the Blessing Foundation’s staff and donors.
“I left Blessing with a smile on my face,” Glenn said. “Even after you get out of the hospital, they call to check to see if everything is going okay for you. They show you so much concern.”
Please consider a gift to the Blessing Foundation’s Cancer Center & Radiation Services Fund. Help us connect the dots between health care and real life, like we did for Glenn and like we continue to do for so many other Blessing cancer patients.
What is the Blessing Foundation?
Since 1983, the Blessing Foundation has been giving back to the community that has given so much to all of us. The charitable foundation distribute grants, scholarships and financial assistance to individuals and families to help them on their healthcare journeys.
For more information about the Blessing Foundation or to discuss a donation or gift, call (217) 223-8400, ext. 4800, or email us at BlessingFoundation@blessinghealth.org
