My Nonprofit Reviews

I was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer in Jan 2020. I was fortunate to go on a targeted medication Mar 2020 that by Nov 2020 had reduced the size of my lung and liver lesions by 90% and had stabilized the mets to the bones of my skull and other small areas in my body. Unfortunately in Jan 2021 I started to notice a return of headaches which was my primary symptom prior to diagnosis. By March scans were revealing that indeed my cancer had moved from stable to progressive and it was time to make a forward thinking decision. I was extremely fortunate to have a very proactive oncologist leading my treatment and he decided the next move was to search for a clinical trial. In short order his sharp team located a clinical trial at the Siteman Cancer Center connected to Washington University and Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis MO; I live in Leawood KS, a four hour drive from St Louis. I started the trial Aug 3; the trial ended up being a very good fit for me clinically but my wife and I quickly learned by the end of the first month that we were going to need to make some serious changes to our budget to allow for the travel and lodging expenses that were going to come along with my involvement in the trial. In September a social worker with the clinical team introduced us to the Lazarex Foundation and I quickly filed the paperwork. Within very short order I received a call from Kathleen Ingram letting me know that my application had been accepted and we would start to receive financial assistance with travel and lodging expenses. A year later I continue to travel every other week to St Louis for treatment and the trial meds are keeping me in a state of stable disease. We are beyond grateful to not have the burden of the expense of traveling to receive this life saving treatment.
I have been a yoga student and teacher for 22+ years and because of my diagnosis and it coinciding with the start of the Covid Pandemic, my teaching came to a halt. In April of this year I was able to start teaching again. I contacted my dedicated students and pitched the idea of a once a week donation class; with the generosity of the Kansas School of Classical Ballet in Overland Park KS donating space the class took off. All of the proceeds from this class have been donated to the Lazarex Cancer Foundation and to date we have raised $1,625.00 that has been joyfully forwarded to Lazarex. The outpouring of gratitude for this small token of appreciation has been authentically expressed in the form of thank you cards and a hand made bracelet that I wear every time I travel to St Louis for treatment. This whole experience has reinforced my belief that gratitude is good medicine and that it is a sensation that washes the mind, body and spirit.