By Lindsey B.
I was a new wife, a new mom, not even 30 years old and definitely not thinking about a cancer diagnosis coming into my life, but amid making memories with my new family, it did.
I was thrown into making life-changing decisions and putting trust into people whom I had just met. To call this time of my life a blur, is an understatement, but I found that by having a strong support system, it was possible. With this support of family, friends, co-workers and organizations like New Day Foundation, the burden of a cancer diagnosis had lessened a bit.
I originally found New Day through our oncology social worker at my treating hospital. We worked quickly to put together everything needed to start getting help right away. New Day paid our car payment and utility bills to offset the pricey chemotherapy, surgery and radiation treatments that were necessary to give me the best possible chance of survival. This was a blessing during a time when the focus should be on getting better, not on the stress that can be brought on from a pile of medical bills.
My treatment course went on for over a year and was nothing short of grueling, but I came out on the other side. Of course, things were different, but my main goal was to beat this disease and survive many years with my family – and that’s what I’ve continued hoping for every day since.
Once I was near the end of treatment and appointments were lessening, I knew my passion from here on out would be to give back and help others battling a cancer diagnosis. I made a shift in my career path towards roles within oncology and have done so for over 10 years now. I currently hold a position at Corewell Health as Cancer Services Program Manager for the Northeast Region. I have a great passion for giving back and helping others, not only at work, but also by volunteering and contributing to help local organizations. Because of the help that New Day provided to my family and me, we often seek out opportunities to donate and volunteer. I love being able to help and will do so in any capacity that I can!