The Caring & Sharing Cancer Foundation aims to help those struggling with cancer — and let them know what resources are available to them.
On Friday, the foundation will hold its second annual Caring & Sharing Christmas Gala at 7 p.m. at the Greenwood Country Club.
Tickets are $100 each.
Howard Smith will perform during the gala’s cocktail hour from 7 to 8 p.m. Curb Service and the Curvettes will perform from 8 to 11 p.m.
The foundation, the brainchild of Paula Provine, received tax-exempt status in August, meaning that all donations to it are fully tax deductible.
The gala will feature plenty of dancing and entertainment, but Provine said its purpose is to help raise funds — and awareness — for helping to those living with cancer. That might include providing access to healthy foods, transportation to and from treatments, lodging, meals and even money for utility bills.
It also might include other things that don’t necessarily come to mind, such as buying new clothing for those experiencing severe weight loss or wigs for those affected by chemotherapy.
Provine, a cancer survivor, said things seem to be falling into place for the foundation. “I think we’re moving in the right direction,” she said.
She said several people have been helped already, but informing the public about the charity and the available funds has been a struggle.
“We’d like to funnel it through our cancer doctors, that being Dr. Syed S. Rafique and Dr. Roderick Givens, but a lot of times, there are people that aren’t going to a facility here,” Provine said. “They need to know that this assistance is available.”
The foundation has an 11-member board. One of its more passionate and vocal members is Dr. Mary Carol Miller.
It’s easy to understand how cancer can affect a community when looking at the incident rate of breast cancer among women, Miller said.
“It’s very well-documented that one in eight women will get breast cancer,” she said.
Miller said that when she taught anatomy and physiology classes, she would gather the women into groups of eight.
“I’d say, ‘Look around at each other. One of you will get breast cancer.’ That brings it down to a very small group of people,” she said.
Provine said one in three people nationally will get some form of cancer.
Many times, Miller said, a cancer patient’s needs often go beyond what health insurance will cover.
“It’s hard enough if you’ve got to go in for chemo treatment without worrying about how you’re going to put the gas in your car to get there,” she said.
Provine said the group has already helped a woman in Schlater.
“Thanks to our assistance, she lives, because she could afford the nutrition she needed,” she said. “Her daughter called me last week and said she’s cancer-free. Those are the people we want to help.”
Certain cancers require specialized treatments that might not be available in Greenwood, but Provine said the foundation provides assistance to those living in Leflore and Carroll counties, regardless of where they get their treatment.
“Their insurance may pay for the treatment, but it’s not going to pay for the hotel room. It’s not going to pay for the gas to get you out there. It’s not going to pay for your food if you’re living in a hotel room for a week,” Miller said.
Provide said patients need to come forward and ask their doctors about the Caring & Sharing Cancer Foundation before doctors can talk about the services the foundation routinely provides.
She said visiting a chemo treatment room is heartbreaking.
“All of those people sitting there, getting their chemo, that probably don’t know where their next meal is coming from — that’s what is sad,” Provine said.
“Dr. Givens actually told me that he doesn’t have patients dying of cancer. He’s got patients who are dying because they can’t afford their nutrition,” she said.
Provine said if a patient tells their doctor “I’m having trouble,” that’s all that is necessary to get the ball rolling.
The gala is just one event the foundation has been working on.
In October, Wade Inc. and Kirk Brothers Ford-Lincoln raised more than $9,000 for the foundation as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Provine said she hopes other companies will join the local effort.
“The money is going to help people here. It doesn’t go anywhere else,” she said.
Provine hopes the message will resonate in the community. “If somebody is reading this article, if they know somebody with cancer or are going through cancer themselves, they can call us. We’re here,” she said.
For more information on the Caring & Sharing Cancer Foundation Christmas Gala contact Provine at paulaprovine@hughes.net.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
