Cancer hero Nicole and her children captured by Arlene Marston
2022 Wrapped: Key Moments From Family Reach’s Record-Breaking Year
We all felt the rising costs of housing, food, and transportation last year — and yet supporters like you still showed up in record-breaking ways for the cancer community.
Your support provided more than 23,000 families with access to critical financial resources during cancer treatment. That’s 64% more families supported than in 2021. Thousands more cancer patients who didn’t have to sit in a chemotherapy chair and worry about paying next month’s rent. More families who realized they weren’t the only ones struggling to keep food on the table, and that help is out there.
Thank you! Let’s celebrate everything we achieved together in 2022.
families supported in 2022
You showed up for families facing cancer across the country who:
Support their entire family on less than $60,000
Lost half or more of their income once treatment began
Are single-parent households
Patient Locations
Patient Ages
Your support helped families afford everyday essentials:
Eliminating financial barriers to care
Family Reach experienced a 47% increase in demand for our services between 2021 and 2022
Rising gas, grocery, and housing prices were a significant challenge for many families last year — especially those in cancer treatment — and we quickly saw an increase in requests for help. Not being able to feed your family while you’re facing cancer is a crisis, so we streamlined our processes and cut our response time by 30%.
You helped us respond to this crisis by breaking fundraising records and raising an incredible $243,833 on #GivingTuesday alone. Thanks to generous supporters like you, we provided 21% more families with funds to cover their mortgage payments, utility expenses, and treatment-related travel costs in 2022.
Cancer patients of color are more likely to experience financial hardship, directly impacting their chances of survival1
In 2022, we placed an on-site Family Reach social worker at seven Philadelphia treatment centers where 73% of patients supported are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or people of color). The results: More than 450 families received Family Reach services, ensuring they could maintain access to life-saving treatment.
Our cancer equity efforts also included partnerships with community-based organizations like Nueva Vida to learn from leaders and reach more patients who rely on these local resources.
More than one-third of adult cancer deaths in the US could be prevented by eliminating socioeconomic disparities2
Socioeconomic disparities include social determinants of health like food, housing, and transportation. Last fall, Family Reach partnered with UCSF Medical Center to evaluate how these factors intersect with financial distress in the cancer community. Our findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology:
- Black and Hispanic/Latinx families experience more financial distress than White families during cancer treatment, lowering their chances of survival
- Access to financial support alleviates financial distress for 94% of families
“Having the knowledge and awareness to address financial concerns gives the cancer patient the power to start the conversation.” — Family Reach cancer hero, anonymous
Asking for help with housing, food, and utility bills during cancer treatment is difficult. One patient we supported shared, “I didn’t want to disclose my family’s [financial] hardships because I felt asking for help was demeaning and humiliating.”
In 2022, we launched a new series of tip sheets and guides to help families share their financial needs and access support.
“As a cancer patient, I was already in a vulnerable state. Your guide should be available in every cancer treatment center across America. Having the knowledge and awareness to address financial concerns gives the cancer patient the power to start the conversation.”
The US spends 2X as much on cancer care as the average high-income country — yet our mortality rates are barely above average3
At Family Reach, we know that treatment requires more than medicine — a patient’s basic needs must be met first. We elevated this discussion at two national events in 2022: the relaunch of the White House Cancer Moonshot and AtlanticLIVE’s People v. Cancer conference. Your likes, shares, and networking are also critical for spreading awareness and moving the needle toward systemic change.
Words from patients and caregivers
These notes of gratitude go out to the generous supporters who made our work possible in 2022 and beyond.
Cancer stories + perspectives
In 2022, we continued to put patient and caregiver experiences in the spotlight and advocate for a better system for families touched by cancer.
3 Parents Share Unexpected Costs of Childhood Cancer
Three parents share the costs they didn’t expect to encounter while their children faced cancer treatment.
An Unfair Fight: A Poem on Living With Cancer in America
Read a poem by Renée, who uses poetry to share her cancer experience and advocate for others in the young adult cancer community.
Financial Toxicity Impacts Cancer Survival Rates — So Why Are So Few Talking About It?
Improving cancer care requires addressing the undeniable link between financial health, basic needs, and patient outcomes.
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References:
- “Han, X., Zhao, J., Zheng, Z., de Moor, J. S., Virgo, K. S., & Yabroff, K. R. (2020). Medical Financial Hardship Intensity and Financial Sacrifice Associated with Cancer in the United States. Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology, 29(2), 308–317.
- CancerDisparitiesProgressReport.org. Philadelphia: American Association for Cancer Research; © 2020.
- Chow RD, Bradley EH, Gross CP. Comparison of Cancer-Related Spending and Mortality Rates in the US vs 21 High-Income Countries. JAMA Health Forum. 2022;3(5):e221229. doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2022.1229
Always walking the fine line between her right and left brain, Stevie brings her creative and strategic thinking to her role as Senior Creative and Brand Manager. Her work amplifies Family Reach’s voice and brings attention to the financial impacts of a cancer diagnosis.
We See You, Caregivers: Parents and Partners Reflect on Financial Stress of Cancer
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Balancing Cancer, Family, and Finances: Nicole’s Story
Nicole shares how Family Reach offered not only financial support during cancer treatment, but also a community.
Soaring to New Heights: Reaching More Patient Populations With AbbVie
Find out how partners like AbbVie and the AbbVie Foundation help us scale, challenge the status quo, and invest in a better system for people with cancer.
