There’s something so inherently cruel and flat out unfair about watching a loved one deal with illness.
For me, watching one of my close friends get diagnosed with cancer was a pivotal moment. It came out of the blue, as it usually does. And I wasn’t fully emotionally prepared for how it would affect me.
It’s easy to rationalize how the diagnosed person would have their life changed, but you don’t realize that it will also affect you deeply as one of their closest friends.
I saw firsthand what the illness could do to someone physically, emotionally, and also financially. This person had a massive hill to climb regarding new medical decisions, debates and questions over insurance (that’s the most headache inducing one for sure), doctors appointments, and just the overwhelming level of uncertainty that comes with each day.
Luckily they had a close-knit family around them, but even then there were menacing questions at play.
This is where the Rofeh Cholim Cancer Society swoops in to help. They focus hard on the financial side of battling cancer. Like helping patients with health-insurance coverage, connecting their families with much needed medical referrals, and continually being that advocate for them throughout the treatment journey.
So the support my friend received was tangible, it wasn’t just a list of doctors to call off an online directory.
Seeing that level of guidance and hands-on help left a lasting impression on me. I saw how cancer does so much more damage than physical, it creates a number of ancillary crises in its wake, especially on the admin and financial side of things.
Getting that right introduction into the best insurance options and referral help can be transformative. Anyway, I think RCCS gets this reality more than most. That’s why Vicci Eyewear and I got together with them.
One of our main contributions is through the RCCS’s annual hockey tournament. Standing on the ice at that event, with a community so united around a common goal, I saw nothing but pure beauty.
Every player who shows up is there because of cancer, whether on themselves, a friend, family member, our community member. And it’s not purely about financial donations, it’s a simple way to come together.
This cause is more than just compassion, it’s about helping families keep coverage, find the right doctors and physicians, and articulate the options in front of them in layman’s terms.
Now we’re four years in and I’m still as inspired as I was on day one.