Nonprofit aids breast cancer patients with expenses
By Debbie Gardner
dgardner@thereminder.com
Robyn Hersey is no stranger to the challenges a serious health crisis can bring to a person.
Twenty-three years ago, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
It not only impacted her health, but it also had a devastating effect on her financial wellbeing.
“When I was going through my treatments – chemo and radiation – I was out of work longer than I expected,” Hersey told Prime during a recent interview. “There was no going on the internet and buying health insurance [back then]; it was either MassHealth or employer insurance. I found myself in care with no insurance.”
Hersey was lucky, her oncologist, Dr. Phillip Glynn, was affiliated with what was Noble Hospital at the time, was able to get her into a research program he was running “that kept my care going” and the program was able to help her with the cost of some of her medications.
But that didn’t cover all the costs of living with a cancer diagnosis that impacted her ability to work.
“The regular bills were still there,” Hersey said. “I sold my house and paid off my bills, moved into a tiny apartment and continued my treatment.”
A call to action
The impact of her cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment on her financial situation was an eye-opener for Hersey.
“When I got back on my feet, I thought, ‘I have to do something … if there was a foundation or something you could just apply to and get some help, you wouldn’t have to sell your house,” she explained.
She wanted to find a way to “keep people from having to sell their house, like I did.”
In 2007, Hersey decided to do a fundraiser to try and help people impacted with cancer.
“We found a place, got some vendors, had a meal, sold tickets and had raffles that first year,” Hersey recalled. “We had 100 people [attend] and raised a little over $3,000.”
She donated the money to Rays of Hope but felt a bit uncomfortable about the money helping people the way she wanted to. “I wasn’t sure where the money was going,” Hersey said, adding that though supporting equipment and research were important, it wasn’t what she had envisioned. “We wanted to make sure [the money raised] was for direct patient care.”
Finding the Pink W.A.Y.
The following year, in 2008, Hersey decided to create her own nonprofit so she could provide women going through breast cancer treatment help the way she wanted to.
“We were lucky because we work a lot in the town of Ludlow, we were lucky to get an accountant there who did [the paperwork for nonprofit status] for us and didn’t charge us anything,” Hersey said.
The foundation’s name – The Pink W.A.Y. – came about during an early bottle-and-can fundraiser, Hersey shared.
“We were sitting around [hosting the drive] and decided we needed to come up with a logo, Hersey said. “We started with The Pink W.A.Y. – Women Around You – [because] we were women gathered around one person [offering support].”
Shortly after incorporating Hersey - and her original three-member board of directors – set to work distributing monies raised during their fundraisers to breast cancer patients who wrote to the nonprofit explaining their situation, asking for help with expenses. The board evaluated each request during monthly board meetings, choosing those they felt they could best support.
“We don’t have any special forms,” Hersey explained. “It’s basically a letter. Most people, when they are newly diagnosed, know what type of cancer and treatment they have. What goes into the letter is who referred you [to The Pink W.A.Y.], name and address, a little about your breast cancer, a little about your needs and who is treating you.”
Checks, Hersey said, would go out right after a request was approved.
Hersey said referrals come to The Pink W.A. Y. through word-of-mouth, from the D’Amour Cancer Center, and also from a fellow nonprofit invested in helping breast cancer patients and survivors, Each Momen We’re Alive, founded by fellow breast cancer survivor Cindy Sheridan Murphy of West Springfield.
Sheridan-Murphy, whose foundation was featured in the October 2023 issue of Prime (www.primeontheweb.com/featurestory/making-the-most-of-each-moment/), recently shared with Prime her “primary referral for financial support is the Pink W. A. Y., where Robin and her team provide invaluable help to women with breast cancer. Their commitment to easing the financial burden of a new diagnosis is essential for those facing the challenges of cancer.”
Making a difference
In the past 16 years, Hersey said her foundation has provided financial help in myriad forms to over 200 women battling breast cancer.
“Sometimes it’s money for Christmas shopping. Sometimes it’s paying for oil – we sent $100 to an oil company to pay a bill, sometimes it’s just money to meet copays,” Hersey said as examples of the type of help The Pink W.A.Y. provides. “One letter told me the woman had had a full mastectomy and needed a recliner [to be comfortable in recovery] so we bought her a recliner,” Hersey said.
And though the nonprofit has received requests from women across the state, and even some from patients out of state, Hersey said she and her board – which now includes four additional members as well as the three-person board of directors – limit their financial help to women in Western Massachusetts.
Rebuilding The Pink W.A.Y.
By 2019 – the year before the coronavirus pandemic hit – The Pink Way Foundation was in a robust place financially.
“We had 400 people at the Lusitano Club in Ludlow for our gala. We had over 100 raffle prizes and raised over $40,000 for direct care,” Hersey said.
“During COVID, the foundation still functioned, but we weren’t able to raise any new funds,” Hersey continued, adding, “Just because COVID was here, breast cancer didn’t go away … the need became even more … copays and gas and all those different things.”
Through the COVID-19 lockdown and early recovery, The Pink W.A.Y. Foundation virtually drained its bank account, Hersey said.
“But that’s great, and we felt good about it,” she said. “Now, we’re rebuilding.”
Earlier this year, the nonprofit hosted a golf tournament, which brought in $10,000 to help rebuild its coffers. On Sept. 14, The Pink W.A.Y. Foundation had a car show fundraiser planned.
And on Oct. 12, the nonprofit will be hosting its major fundraiser of the year – its annual gala.
The event, slated for the Ludlow Country Club, 1 Tony Lema Dr. in Ludlow, will be a masquerade “where elegance, mystery and charity come together for an unforgettable evening,” according to a post on the foundation’s Facebook page.
Dress for the evening is cocktail attire. Tickets are $55 per person, available by emailing thepinkwayfoundation@gmail.com.
“The goal at the new gala is $20,000,” Hersey said. “If we make more than that, I’m happy.”
