Leslie and Mike with their three children.

Leslie is not a cancer fighter herself, but she is no stranger to the disease. She has been in the thick of things as a cancer caregiver since October of 2014 when her husband, Mike, was diagnosed with stage IV Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. She continues to stand by his side through each of the appointments, the ups and downs and the daily challenges they face.

Difficulties of caregiving

Being a caregiver has not been an easy journey. Everyday life quickly became extremely demanding for Leslie and she faced obstacles she never anticipated. The financial side of cancer is just one of the hurdles she became all too familiar with.

Before cancer, Leslie and Mike were able to provide their three young children with a financially stable home environment. But with Mike out of work due to treatment needs and Leslie serving as full-time caregiver and mom, that all soon changed. The magnitude of the issue hit them as they approached declaring bankruptcy.

“We found ourselves with $78 in the bank,” says Mike. “When our son asked us to sign him up for baseball, we did. We couldn’t afford a cup of coffee after paying the registration fee.”

It was time to reach out for help.

Easing worries

Leslie connected with Family Reach and, because of supporters like you, we were able to assist the family with their mortgage payments and alleviated this source of worry. With a roof over their family’s heads, Mike and Leslie were able to focus on the end goal: Mike’s health. He has recently received a stem cell transplant and his first scans show no evidence of cancer!

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