Fund helps Cape Breton cancer patients relieve financial stress
‘Cancer is abrupt. No one plans for it’
Editor’s note: This story is part of a Cape Breton Post Special Report taking a closer look at Nova Scotia’s health-care system and the patient experience of battling cancer.
When Tom MacNeil first started his job as social worker at the Cape Breton Cancer Centre, he assumed most appointments would be about emotional concerns.
What he got was client after client talking about money woes and financial stress. People stressed about how they could get taxis to treatments, pay for extra days needed for treatments in Halifax or how they could pay bills now that they couldn’t work while battling the disease.
That’s when MacNeil decided to start looking for money to help patients out, so they could focus on healing and not on money.
“They might be waiting for four weeks for their Canadian Pension Plan to kick in or they could be waiting for EI and that’s stressful,” said MacNeil, who has been at the centre since 2003.
“Cancer is abrupt. No one plans for it.”
MacNeil started reaching out to a biker memorial fund group in Halifax, who always said: “No problem buddy.” Eventually, the need from cancer patients in Cape Breton became too great for the group and MacNeil reached out to the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation to start a fund here.
In 2005, the Cape Breton Cancer Care Fund was launched and today it has given out $1.7 million to cancer patients in need. There was $336,000 given out in 2017 alone and they are giving out about $20,000-$30,000 a month, thanks to support from the community.
“The money just seemed to flow out of nowhere … as more money came in we could expand,” MacNeil said, praising the community for its continued support.
MacNeil remembered one woman who called after her husband had finished his cancer treatments to thank him for getting her money for a taxi.
“She didn’t drive and she said she wouldn’t have been able to get him to the appointments without the help,” he said.
The regional hospital foundation now oversees donations and fundraising for this fund and doesn’t take anything off the top to cover operation or administration costs. All money raised goes directly into the fund and into the hands of cancer patients in need.
“We’re really proud of this fund because it gives the person the chance to pay for some things they are having difficulty with, so they can focus on their treatments,” said Mark Inglis, spokesperson for the foundation.
“Every single cent donated goes back into the fund. Not a single penny is taken off.”