Service helps breast cancer patients with increased needs that stem from cancer and treatment
A cancer diagnosis is something that often changes people’s lives. Though treatment for breast cancer is covered by our provincial health care system, there are often small costs that add up even for someone who isn’t losing income because of time away from their place of employment. To help with some of those costs, Helping Hands for Manitobans with Breast Cancer Inc. was established in 2005 and continues to work towards helping low-income Manitobans who need a helping hand.
“We call it expenses that simply fall through the cracks, that no other organization, governments or private organizations such as [health insurance companies], will cover for the person who is low income. We also cover, for rural clients in Manitoba, and that’s been part of our mandate is to help people from rural Manitoba, get into cities to be able to get the care that they need. We cover, if they qualify, accommodation, meals, and transportation costs, for people who have to come into Winnipeg, in order to get the proper care,” said Val Poole, secretary for Helping Hands for Manitobans with Breast Cancer.
The organization which is all volunteer run is a grassroots non-profit.
Helping Hands for Manitobans with Breat Cancer helps with the expenses not covered by health care or private insurance
When Helping Hands was started in 2005, fewer expenses were covered by the provincial government.
“Back then, if a woman had a mastectomy, which is a removal of the breast, she would need to have a mastectomy pocket bra and also a form called a prosthesis. The government paid very little for these two items,” explained Poole.
Another area where they saw need was with a medication that breast cancer patients needed to take for five years after having breast cancer.
“Those five-year medications help control the estrogen production in the patient because the estrogen feeds the breast cancer. None of those were covered by the government,” said Poole.
Now the government covers prostheses and a portion of pocket bras as well as the medication needed after breast cancer treatment for patients regardless of gender.
Poole explained that, though lobbying has changed what they help with, there are expenses that still fall through the cracks. Regardless if it’s chemotherapy treatments, radiation treatments, surgery, or doctor’s appointments, they aim to help low-income patients.
They find the patients that they help through a referals from breast cancer navigators who connects them with people in need.
Poole explained that though there are other groups that support research small specialized groups like Helping Hands are very important parts of our communities.
“We want to make sure everybody on their breast cancer journey is getting assistance. It affects the whole family, it doesn’t just affect the person. The money that a person has to spend for items that aren’t covered by anybody else takes away money for food on the table, gas in the car, [adds to] the high cost of living, and it takes away money for children’s activities. It can take away money for clothing, it can put people into food banks and there’s enough of that going on in society today,” she said.
She also wants to emphasize that though breast cancer is often thought of as a disease that affects women that, that is not the case and that they helped male patients as well.
Poole says that donations are the key to them being able to help people and though they may not have the same reach as other larger groups their services are very important.
“Our money comes from donations. It comes from grant applications because we apply for grants from organizations that cover us. It comes from third-party fundraisers [for example] there are groups around the province that’ll run an event and then say a percentage is going to go to Helping Hands or they’ll have a garage sale, and they’ll donate $100 to the group from the garage sale to help. Those are the third party donation fundraisers that are often done on our behalf,” said Poole.
She says that donations however large or small are key to allowing Helping Hands to make a significant difference for people with breast cancer. They also are looking to expand their board of directors if anyone is interested.
Residents can donate to this group or learn more about them at their website www.helpinghands4mbwbc.com.
