Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation

 

 

Among the most devastating news a parent will ever receive is the diagnosis of cancer for their son or daughter. In an instant the family's life is thrown into upheaval, and the single focus becomes how to help the child, often with little or no outside support. Fortunately, for families facing this daunting challenge in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura Counties, there is the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation. Development Director Eryn Shugart (pictured above) visited Ventura Rotary South on Monday, September 18, to provide an overview of the organization and its essential work.

 

"The mission of the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation," said Eryn, "is to provide families with financial, educational, and emotional support when they most need it." She noted that, nationwide, only four percent of money raised for cancer research is directed specifically toward children battling the disease.

 

For parents of a child with cancer, the financial burden is often second only to dealing with the disease itself. That's where the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation steps in, offering assistance with non-medical expenses such as mortgage/rent, utility bills, hotel accommodations during hospital stays, auto expenses, and home care services. The Foundation also offers families a wealth of emotional and educational support.

 

Joining Eryn at our Monday meeting was Lisa Hester, whose son Elijah is battling a rare form of cancer that affects the eye. She noted that the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation assists her family in a number of ways, including financial support that enables her to accompany Elijah to Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where treatment for his illness has better than a 90-percent success rate. The Foundation has also seen to it that Lisa's other children have had Christmas presents, and that the family's property tax has been paid.

 

The Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation is supported by donations, and by the efforts of more than 700 volunteers who contributed over 7,000 hours of service last year alone. For more information, visit teddybearcancerfoundation.org. Thank you, Eryn, for telling us about the amazing work of the Foundation, and Lisa, for sharing your family's story.