Survivor Circle was created in 2003 to honor cancer survivors by recognizing organizations that further the fight for survivorship. ASTRO has raised well over $500,000 since the inception of the program, almost wholly from the generous support of our exhibitors, 100% of which has gone to grant recipients. Each year, ASTRO awards two grants of up to $12,500 to support organizations located in the state that hosts the Annual Meeting.
Yesterday morning, ASTRO awarded this year’s recipients, Breast Cancer Angels and Cancer Support Community Los Angeles (CSCLA), with Survivor Circle Grants of $12,500 each for the services they provide.
For almost 20 years, Breast Cancer Angels has been driven by the mission to provide financial security for people undergoing breast cancer treatment so they may focus on healing. Their vision is that no one should ever have to choose between paying for treatment or getting groceries. The organization’s reach spans Orange County, Long Beach/South Bay and San Diego, and they also do one-time assistance in the Inland Empire and Los Angeles.
Breast Cancer Angels’ flagship program, One Family at a Time (OFT), is dedicated to providing breast cancer patients who are undergoing treatment with much-needed financial assistance. Individual patients receive help in the form of $300-500 each month, for a total of three months. OFT specifically focuses on patients from the low-to-moderate income category, comprising nearly 100% of those they serve. Ninety percent are from minority backgrounds, as OFT understands that Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) clients often experience systemic exclusion from profitable social systems such as jobs that provide health insurance options.
Breast Cancer Angels plans to dedicate the grant toward gas cards for 125-150 families and/or individuals. Debbie Stroman, Executive Director, gratefully acknowledges ASTRO’s support, noting “Radiation is essential in our patients’ recovery. With radiation treatments spanning four to eight weeks and requiring daily commutes, this financial aid will alleviate the stress of fuel costs for our patients, ensuring they can focus on their treatment and healing journey.”
Learn more about Breast Cancer Angels.
Cancer Support Community Los Angeles (CSCLA) works to ensure that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action and sustained by community. CSCLA’s vision is to inspire strength, wholeness and connection to support patients and families facing cancer while partnering with health care providers in an integrated and inclusive community of care.
Driven by this mission and vision, CSCLA has supported their patient base for more than 40 years, providing free psycho-social support and services to persons living with cancer and their loved ones. They do this by implementing the Patient Active Model, which encourages patients and families to actively participate with their physicians in their pursuit of a better quality of life and hope for the possibility of recovery. This takes place through support groups, counseling, healthy lifestyle classes and education workshops. A third of CSCLA’s client base is Spanish speaking, and 86% are age 40 or older. CSCLA plans to channel the Survivor Circle grant toward the continuation of language- and identity-specific support groups for cancer patients and their families before, during and after treatment, including for those receiving radiation therapy.
Julia Forth, CEO of CSCLA, thanks ASTRO for the support and shared, “The funding associated with this award will help CSCLA provide free psycho-social support to over 2,000 people this year throughout Greater Los Angeles – ensuring that all cancer patients, cancer survivors and their families have access to support from diagnosis through survivorship, regardless of their income, race, ethnicity, age, gender or sexual orientation. Our partnership with ASTRO strengthens our ability to provide free support for the cancer community by allowing us to tailor our programs to our members' unique needs.”
Learn more about Cancer Support Community Los Angeles.
Both Breast Cancer Angeles and CSCLA will certainly use their funds to multiply their impact, and upcoming ASTRO publications will provide updates on their use of the grants. For questions regarding the Survivor Circle grants, contact Beth Bukata.
