If October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, Pink Aid (PA) is making us aware of the person who lives with breast cancer and the struggles they confront each day; the warriors who need a bit of support so they can continue their fight.
According to breast cancer survivor Karen C, “There's a lot of fundraisers for research but there's not a lot of help for the patients and they don’t understand what the patient is going through.” The pain of breast cancer isn’t limited to illness and medical expenses. It’s socially and emotionally debilitating, especially for our underserved community. Stacey K states, “I experienced a lot of hardship in my life, but this is the most difficult physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially.”
Pink Aid was founded in 2011 by Amy Katz (Chairwoman), Andrew Mitchell-Namdar, Amy Gross, and Renée Mandis. Amy is a breast cancer survivor, as is today’s co-president Debbie Katz. Most of the founders have lost relatives to the disease. Says Amy, "When you walk in someone's shoes you understand the path that lies ahead.”
For 10 years PA volunteers have paved that path, pot-holed with unimaginable stresses, for thousands of women by focusing on those ancillary and often overlooked expenses. In addition to rewarding grants to organizations that share their mission, PA created Pink Purse (PP). PP works with social workers to give directly to individual patients. Giving can include rides to and from appointments, gift cards for gas and food, even payment for utility and cable bills.
The stories of gratitude are equally heartbreaking and heartwarming.
Joan M was serving in the military when she learned she had cancer. She spent so much time in the hospital for treatment that when she returned home she discovered her roof had fallen in. “Battling breast cancer is hard enough,” she says, “but imagine the stress when you can’t pay your bills, when your family’s basic needs are not met. The water’s off, the gas is off, the light is off and the one thing you don’t want to happen is the lights to be turned off. Being in the dark… when you’re trying to stay out of the dark mentally, is not a good combination. There has to be light.”
PP paid her utility bills and Joan M received her light.
PP recipient Stacey K has worked since she was five years old. “I sold TV Guides,” she smiles, then continues, I’ve always been big on paying bills, especially if it’s rent because that’s one step away from homelessness.” PP helped her pay her her bills and avoid her greatest fear.
A recipient of a $100 grocery card wrote a thank-you note: “I usually eat peanut butter and crackers by mid-month.”
One of the social workers remarks of gifting Pink Purses to patients in need, “I wish (PA volunteers) can see their faces. I get to see them firsthand when I’m telling them that (PA) is going to pay their rent, (PA) is going to pay their shut-off notice. You can see the relief in their eyes. It brings that smile on your face and it just makes you feel good all over.”
In extreme cases, their Pink Posse assembles tote bags filled with important items such as blankets, slippers, water bottles, food cards, and CVS cards. Once in a while a woman needs more, such as the woman who was diagnosed while pregnant with her fourth child.
But it’s not all about money. Women call, panicked, after a positive diagnosis. Pink Aid offers support and peer-to-peer mentorship; a “Warrior Connection.” Free annual events provide professional advice from doctors and surgeons. Finally, they organize social escapes - book groups, walks, lunches - for members and patients.
Their largest fundraiser is a fall fashion show, in which survivors walk alongside the models on the runway at Mitchells. This auction raises valuable funds and provides a window into the high-profile attention Pink Aid has garnered during its first 10 years. Items have included a dinner for ten with fashion designer Lela Rose in her private Tribeca home, plus a $5K shopping experience in her Manhattan showroom. Brunello Cucinelli, who grew up in poverty and became CEO and founder of the eponymous global luxury brand, donated a trip to Italy for a private dinner with Brunello and his family, plus a private tour of their workshop.
At St. Vincent’s fundraiser, a woman approached Andrew and said, “You have no idea how much you helped me. I have a wig and now my child hugs me.”
No amount of research can accomplish that.
PinkAid.org