Holy Cross Lake Mary started CancerBank.org in 2010 when a young mother who was a member of the congregation was diagnosed with cancer. After treatment started, the family found themselves in the predicament of deciding whether to pay insurance deductibles to continue treatment or their mortgage. In response, CancerBank.org was created to help families who are battling cancer with those expenses which are not covered by insurance.

Thousands of Central Florida families receive a cancer diagnosis every year. With insurance rates going up, high deductibles and minimal coverage have come to be the norm. Unless a family is fortunate enough to have purchased a cancer insurance policy, many treatments and tests will cost them a lot of money out of pocket, often right as the cancer patient is unable to continue to work due to the treatments. This can quickly drain savings and bank accounts forcing families to make tough choices, especially when there are children involved. According to a November 2019 CNBC report, cancer patients are 2.5 times more likely to file for bankruptcy after a diagnosis. In addition, the American Journal of Medicine published that 42.4 percent of patients deplete their entire life savings within two years of a diagnosis. Cancer patients should not be forced to choose between living long enough to attend their kids high school graduation or having enough money to send their kids to college. They should not have to make the decision between treatment and a place to live or treatment and having food. But with higher medical costs and lower on average savings accounts, that is exactly what many families are having to do. A cancer diagnosis is hard enough without having to worry about paying deductibles and day to day bills without draining every account. 

Cancer patients and their families have important health decisions to worry about, yet 64% of cancer survivors admitted to worrying about how to pay large bills associated with their cancer according to the 2012 LIVESTRONG survey. That is where CancerBank.org can help with one time grants for families up to $10,000 to help them with those expenses that are not covered by insurance. CancerBank.org is more than money for their clients though, they are a support system of advocates, counselors, and services which helps give those battling cancer one less thing to worry about.

Over the past 10 years CancerBank has adopted twenty families, awarding over $150,000 to directly help Central Florida families impacted by cancer. Since we are a 100% volunteer run program, we can proudly say that all money raised by CancerBank goes to help local families. We are so grateful for your support in our mission.