According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 10% of newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer in the United States are found in women younger than 45 years of age. Additionally, The American Cancer Society found that rates of breast cancer — the second leading cause of cancer deaths in U.S. women — climbed by 1 percent a year from 2012 to 2021, and even more sharply among women under age 50. What was once thought of as a cancer that affects older women is changing, as evidenced by the new mammogram guidelines that advise all women to get screened for breast cancer starting at age 40.
For women who are diagnosed with breast cancer in their 30s and 40s, that life-changing diagnosis often collides with their careers and personal lives as mothers, caregivers and family members. The CDC also reports that breast cancer in younger women is more likely to be found at a later stage and is often more aggressive and difficult to treat.
Luckily for young women facing a breast cancer diagnosis, the Kellogg Cancer Center at Endeavor Health NorthShore Hospitals offers help and support that extends beyond their healthcare journey.
Caring for the whole patient
Thanks in part to many generous donors, the Kellogg Cancer Center is able to provide patient- and family-centered care through its Patient Support Fund, which helps patients manage costs outside of their healthcare and treatment plans. In addition to an ongoing focus on prevention, early detection and advanced treatment options for cancer, patients and families at Kellogg Cancer Center have access to a full range of resources to help navigate and manage their cancer journey.
From emotional and spiritual support to special nutritional guidance, integrative medicine services, assistance with practical needs like transportation or financial aid, and a robust survivorship program, the extended Kellogg Cancer Center team delivers comprehensive, compassionate support. This is unique to the cancer center’s care approach for its patients, which looks at treating the whole patient and all aspects of their lives, including both financial and emotional stability. Thanks to the support of the Levy Family, for example, patients have access to a dedicated psychologist who can help with the emotional toll that cancer treatment and diagnosis can have.
The Kellogg Cancer Center is committed to removing barriers to essential, lifesaving care. That includes the work of their experienced Patient Financial Advocates who help patients navigate insurance coverage and medical bills. These advocates can also help access and determine eligibility for financial assistance programs and philanthropy-funded patient assistance grants. In some cases, donors have funded specific patient assistance grants, which are used to help patients with medical bills, medications and other related costs.
For Kellogg Cancer Center patients, partnerships with charitable foundations help provide such patient financial support, including The Karen Dove Cabral Foundation, the Forward4Tobi Foundation and the ROOTS & WINGS Charitable Foundation. All three foundations share a common connection to breast cancer and a particular dedication to helping young mothers experiencing hardship during their breast cancer journeys.
Mothers helping other mothers
For young mothers with breast cancer, navigating their healthcare journey is only one aspect of their experience. Even though it’s important to have a treatment plan and understand side effects of medications, young mothers also must consider how their families will cope and how their other responsibilities will be affected.
The Karen Dove Cabral Foundation and the Forward4Tobi Foundation were both formed in the memory of young women and mothers who passed away from breast cancer. These tragedies highlighted the already growing need for women to have comprehensive care outside of the hospital for their families and for their own wellbeing.
Established in the name of a beloved daughter, mother and spouse, The Karen Dove Cabral Fund at Kellogg Cancer Center provides one-time grants to young mothers with breast cancer, supporting everything from childcare and medication to healing therapies, transportation, and other quality-of-life essentials that minimize the burden of living with cancer.
Similarly, the Foward4Tobi Fund was established in memory of Tobi Lauren Klonecki, who lost her battle with breast cancer in 2013 at the age of 41. This fund continues to provide grants to breast cancer patients with unmet financial needs—from medical expenses to essential daily expenses, such as rent, groceries and childcare. Since awarding its first financial support grant in 2015, Forward4Tobi has impacted more than 100 women who have had to endure the fight of their lives with metastatic breast cancer.
The ROOTS & WINGS Charitable Foundation was founded by Diana Keen, a survivor of metastatic inflammatory breast cancer who benefited from integrative oncology programs that incorporated both chemotherapy and wellness practices. Today, the ROOTS & WINGS Charitable Foundation sponsors acupuncture sessions, massage therapy and functional nutrition counseling for metastatic breast cancer patients at Kellogg Cancer Center.
Emotional and spiritual support is a critical component of cancer treatment, and grants like those funded by these three important foundations go a long way toward alleviating some of the burdens breast cancer patients face.
“My patient hugs me every time she sees me,” said a social worker at Kellogg Cancer Center. “That’s how life-changing this fund, and the housing assistance we provided, was to her.”
These efforts would not be possible without philanthropic support. We are powered by the generosity of donors who directly impact our ability to deliver on our commitment to community-connected care.
To learn more about the Kellogg Cancer Center’s Patient Support Fund, please contact Kevin Gray, Senior Director of Philanthropy: kgray@northshore.org or 224.364.7609.
