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In this episode, we explore the impactful work of the Pretty In Pink Foundation, dedicated to supporting breast cancer patients who face financial challenges. Becky, a survivor and a key member of the foundation, shares her personal story and journey with breast cancer, and how she came to be part of the foundation. We learn about the foundation's mission, the process of enrolling as a champion, and the various services they provide, such as financial assistance and emotional support. Heather discusses the annual fundraisers, including the prominent Pink Pumps and Bow Ties gala, and highlights how volunteers and donations are crucial to their mission. The episode concludes with practical advice on how to support loved ones undergoing cancer treatment and the importance of early detection.
00:00 Introduction and Personal Reflections
02:58 Becky's Journey with Pretty In Pink Foundation
04:09 Foundation's Mission and Impact
05:31 Support Process for Champions
11:21 Fundraising Events and Volunteer Opportunities
16:18 Ways to Support Loved Ones with Cancer
19:50 Final Thoughts and Call to Action
Creators and Guests
What is What’s Up, Wake?
What’s Up, Wake covers the people, places, restaurants, and events of Wake County, North Carolina. Through conversations with local personalities from business owners to town staff and influencers to volunteers, we’ll take a closer look at what makes Wake County an outstanding place to live. Presented by Cherokee Media Group, the publishers of local lifestyle magazines Cary Magazine, Wake Living, and Main & Broad, What’s Up, Wake covers news and happenings in Raleigh, Cary, Morrisville, Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, and Wake Forest.
023 - What's Up Wake Pretty In Pink
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[00:00:00] [00:01:00] [00:02:00]
Becky Horn: Thank you, Melissa.
Melissa: Like I said, this is a personal topic, but to even imagine, I. Having to add the financial toll in the picture. I, I can't even, I can't even imagine that stress.
Becky, I'd like to start with [00:03:00] you. I, I'm wondering how you came to be a part of Pretty and Pink Foundation.
Becky Horn: Well, I am also a survivor and my doctor was Dr. Lisa Tonich.
Melissa: Really? I didn't know That's
Becky Horn: right. Mm-hmm. I have a long history of breast cancer in my family. My mother and my twin sister had breast cancer.
I wanted to get under the care of someone that could keep their eye on me. And I found Dr. Lisa Tonich. You
Melissa: found the best one I did.
Becky Horn: She was recommended to me and I saw her regularly. And then it was my turn and I had my double mastectomy. And through that process, learned about her pretty and pink foundation that she had started in 2004.
After being a patient of hers, she asked me if I would be on the board of Pretty and Pink Foundation, which I did. I had a, a full-time role and job at the time, but I, I joined the board and then in 2018 I asked Dr. Toni if I could step off the [00:04:00] board and onto the staff of Pretty and Pink and help to run the organization.
Melissa: That was a lucky day for her,
Becky Horn: for both of us.
Melissa: So tell us the beginning, the history of why she started this foundation.
Becky Horn: Well, she is so compassionate and in her the process of treating hundreds and hundreds of patients a year, she discovered that some of them weren't showing up for their chemo or were not making their radiation appointments.
And so she started to dig behind that and to discover why. She could have just dismissed it, but she didn't. And she learned that while they were, had received their surgery, for example, they couldn't afford their chemo, that they were making impossible choices about whether to put food on the table.
I. Pay for clothes, for school, clothes for their kids, or were they going to go to chemotherapy that day? And then they either didn't go or they put it off. And she found that [00:05:00] entirely unacceptable. So she started the foundation to, for it with a very specific local purpose. And that was to find women in North Carolina that had breast cancer and that weren't, and were not able to pay for it.
And she founded this organization to take care of that problem.
Melissa: Heather, why are the ladies that you guys help called champions?
Heather Sullivan: Because they are fighters. They're in the fight for their life and we are trying to get them on the other side to become a survivor. Becky,
Melissa: I. How, how do you, as, as the organization, step in and actually help these ladies? What's the process from the moment the champion reaches out to you?
Becky Horn: Well, the very first part of it is that we have partners all over the state. Mammography practices and hospitals and patient navigators and doctors practices breast surgeons, all of them are on the hunt for us. If they find a patient that comes through their, their system that can't pay for their [00:06:00] treatment, all of these places know about us.
So that's how they get referred to us mostly. Some of some people find us just on the website, but mostly they're referred because they come in, they find out those terrible words that you just mentioned, and then they can't pay for it. So they're, they're directed to us. The patient navigator normally helps them get their credentials established.
To be a champion with Pretty and Pink Foundation, you must be a US citizen, a North Carolina resident, and make less than 250% of the federal poverty level and be an active treatment for breast cancer. There is a process that they go through in the application to validate those things. So once they are validated with the information that we need to confirm that they become a champion.
We've never turned anyone away. That's incredible. It is. And we, we give them a, a, a budget, we call it a grant from Pretty and Pink Foundation, and they send their bills directly to us and we pay the [00:07:00] bills directly to doctor's offices. So they are are removed from that morass of. Paperwork and confusion and medical codes and stress.
Exactly, and people have, have truly thanked us for that in addition to the payment, that they also don't have to worry about figuring that out. So then we make the payments directly to doctors on their behalf and we track every penny. We know where every penny went and whether it was for surgery, chemo, radiation.
Insurance, copays, premiums, deductibles, whatever it was, we know what that payment was for. And we track it. And if they run out, if the grant is not enough, typically it's $2,500 or an underinsured person. If we find that they've run out, we just give them another grant. Wow. And we don't ever say, I'm sorry, you're done.
It's over. And we have, we've shelled out some big bucks sometimes.
Melissa: I bet you have. I mean, the cost of treatment. We're talking. Surgery, in most cases, chemo and or [00:08:00] radiation. Right. Not to mention loss of time at work. The, the, the bills pile up quickly and, and substantially.
Becky Horn: That's right. And if you're an hourly worker and going through this treatment, you can't work and therefore you're not getting paid.
Yeah. And for uninsured people, we, we have a typical rate of $3,500 because they are out paying out of pocket. And then for everybody that is coming through our system at we at, we track them and make sure that they've gotten all the help that they need.
Melissa: I guess word has gotten out because I, I spoke to Dr.
Tonich a couple years ago and she said that her original goal was to help 10 patients a year, but now the foundation has helped. How many patients over the years do you know? The total
Becky Horn: I do it, it's over 2,500 now, and we are on track this year to serve over 400 more.
Melissa: Wow.
Becky Horn: I know. So we are, we're very happy with this progress that we're making.
We [00:09:00] serve more and more every year and make sure that, that as many women as we can find in North Carolina that need us, find us. Another thing that we do, Melissa, is we work with the, the medical systems and they have their own charity program. So one of the first steps is to make sure that they have, have used their charity program.
Mm-hmm. So we are, we are very good negotiators because everybody knows that breast cancer costs more than $2,500. Exactly. Right. So we, we start, we, that, that's where it comes in. And then we ask for their charity. Program to be enacted, and that takes it down another notch or two. And then we ask for write-offs, which we typically get.
And at the end of the day, the average payment that we make to complete medical treatment for an underinsured person is $2,500 and $3,500 for an uninsured person.
Melissa: Wow.
Becky Horn: Yeah, we stretch our dollars a long, long way. It sounds like you do.
Melissa: I read that Hurricane Helene [00:10:00] has caused an uptick in the need amongst breast cancers for patients out west because the financial toll of the storm was already bad enough, but add in the cost of treatments and it became overwhelming for many people.
Can you speak about the Hurricane Helene effect?
Becky Horn: Well, hurricane Helene is, was horrific and so many people lost their homes, their businesses, their jobs, all their belongings.
I. On top of this, breast cancer never takes a risk. One out of eight women in America are gonna get breast cancer. And that's true in Western North Carolina too.
Melissa: Yeah.
Becky Horn: So now it's still happening, but, but many of these people that used to have jobs in insurance don't. So we have seen in the the 31 FEMA counties that have been declared disaster areas because of Hurricane Helene.
Our applications in Western North Carolina have gone up 48% because of this.
Melissa: Wow. My goodness. I
Becky Horn: know it's been a, a big deal. So we have we have worked with groups [00:11:00] and our own campaigns to get focus on these people that really need our help in Western North Carolina. And I, I, again, I, I would just like to appeal to anyone of the, that's listening, that if you have a chance to help these people in Western North Carolina breast cancer or whatever the need is to, to try to reach out and help 'em.
Melissa: The need is certainly still big. I. Heather, can you tell us about the fundraisers Pretty and Pink Foundation has every year you guys throw some amazing events that are [00:12:00] very successful.
Heather Sullivan: Yeah, absolutely. So everything that Becky has said is, is our mission, right, which is to pay these medical bills and in order to pay those medical bills, we have to then be able to raise.
Said funds. So our biggest event of the year is our Pink Pumps and Bow Ties gala that is going to be held on November 1st here in Raleigh at Angus Barn Pavilion. It is a very fun night. Melissa. Melissa. You know it. Yeah. You were there last year. I went last year,
Melissa: yep. A beautiful event too. And I mean, everything's pretty at Angus Barns, so the, the scenery helps,
Heather Sullivan: right.
Exactly. Exactly. And we are glad to be back there again this year. It's gonna be bigger and better. We have a variety of different fundraising elements to that event, but at the end of the day, it's really to inspire hope and to raise more funds for our lifesaving mission. Our other fundraising opportunities, though we have a variety throughout the year.
If folks want to get involved, they can check out our website with a full calendar of it. Events, but the highlight would be our golf tournaments that are hosted throughout the year. We also have a variety of give back events at different [00:13:00] boutiques and other restaurants, for example. And then we are always on the lookout for people to host fundraisers for us.
So maybe you don't have the funds in your own account to come out and support our calls, but maybe you have a connection. To a local restaurant who can give back to us. There's a lot of different ways where we can raise money for these women that are desperately in need of medical services.
Melissa: How can the average person, you touched on this a little bit mm-hmm.
But how can the average person help your mission? Yep. I, I particularly want to know about volunteering with the foundation. Do you have volunteer opportunities?
Heather Sullivan: Absolutely, we do. Yes. So the gala in particular opens up a lot of volunteer opportunities as we are always on the lookout for different folks to help us.
And our network is only so big. We have four people in the Raleigh office, and so we want to extend that beyond just our reach. And in order to do that, we need volunteers to come in and help us. Whether that's through event planning, strategic planning, whatnot. And aside from that, we also [00:14:00] have our Beyond the Ribbon program.
And that is kind of a part of our organization. It's not our, our mission by any means, but it's just a, an arm of our organization where we. Help people through a variety of things. So we have comfort care bags that need to be one. The items need to be collected. Two, the items need to be put together assembled, if you will, for the folks who have or are going through breast cancer to be able to comfort them during their time of need.
We also have specialty bras and wigs, so, all of that takes manpower. And so we need people to come in and be able to help with that. And then we have admin tasks and, events that we need people to attend. So volunteers are important to us. They allow us to do a lot more than just the four of us are capable of doing.
Melissa: Yeah, four people is not a lot when you're, when you're taking on such a big task. I also read that I. If people like to sew, they can help in a different way and, and sew some certain items for the care bags like seat belt [00:15:00] pillows. And if, if you have not had breast cancer surgery, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, but trust me the seat belt pillows are very helpful.
Drain bags, pillowcases, eye bags, things like that. So if somebody wants to sew something, how can they go about doing that?
Heather Sullivan: Yeah, sewing and knitting. Crochet. Crocheting even that is part of our Beyond the Ribbon program. So we insert those specialty pillows into those comfort care bags that I just spoke about.
If anyone wants to donate their their special skills for this calls, then they can contact us via our website,
Becky Horn: also on our website or instructions for creating those items you just mentioned. Whether it's a comfort tote or a, or a comfort throw or the pillows that you mentioned, or eye patches and things that, to cool the face.
All, all, that's on our website. So they can go to our beyond the ribbon section of the website and, and participate if they want to with their creativity.
Melissa: That's good to know. Sewing is not [00:16:00] amongst my talents. I wish it was, but any, any sowers out there please head to the website and, and take a look at that.
I normally end our episodes with a WhatsApp Roundup series of lightning round questions, but this time I'd like to kind of end it with a call of action. People don't know what to do or say when a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer. It's understandable. You've never experienced it yourself. I wanted to see if we could brainstorm ideas of ways to help support a loved one who has been newly diagnosed or going through treatments.
What are some things we can do to help? You know, day of as treatment is going on, your friend calls and, and says they're going through this. What can we do to help somebody?
Becky Horn: There's all kinds of things that I'm sure Heather's got a list in her head too, but one of them is offer childcare. Mm. Big one. Yep.
You need to get, get there on at, at a certain appointment. And the appointment's not [00:17:00] movable. It's not at your convenience. It, it's whenever the practice can see someone. So childcare is something you can offer.
Melissa: And not just childcare, but handling school pickup. Do the carpool line, you know? Exactly.
Take that 30 minutes mm-hmm. Off the person that is, is going through treatments because they're exhausted too.
Becky Horn: That's right. Mm-hmm.
Melissa: Yeah.
Heather Sullivan: And to touch on that further, I mean transportation, right? Oh, exactly. Exactly. Just getting them to their appointments and making sure that they make it there so that they can receive that treatment.
Becky Horn: Another one would be helping to clean their house. Oh yeah. They don't feel that was on my list. Yes. They don't feel good. Mm-hmm. And they, they need to be in a clean environment and one that's aesthetically app appealing for them.
Melissa: Absolutely. Yeah. That was definitely on my list. Or if you don't have the time for it, raise some funds and hire a house cleaner to come once a month, or, you know, even less than that.
But to take that. Type of chore off their list would be amazing. Or mow their grass.
Becky Horn: Right. That's a good one. Yeah.
Melissa: Yeah.
Becky Horn: Go pick up things [00:18:00] from the, the grocery store, the dry cleaner, the shoe repair. Mm-hmm. All the little runnings around that people do go, go be that person that runs around for them.
Yeah. And pick up those items.
Melissa: That's a great idea. I would just say in general. Don't ask a person, let me know what I can do. Right. Because they're never gonna let you know. Yeah. They're never going to, to say, well, actually most likely they're gonna say, no, I'm fine. Don't worry about it. When, of course they're not fine, they're lying.
So anything that you can do to, I was also gonna say not just a meal train, but just send a DoorDash gift card. They're very easy to send via text these days. Or even just a, a daily text. Hey, how are you doing? I'm thinking about you check in. Yes. Yes. Just to know that somebody is thinking about you goes a lot further and it's free.
It's so true. True. It goes a lot further than you really think It does.
Becky Horn: And offer an ear if someone wants to talk. You have to respect people's privacy. I. Some of our champions are very, very private [00:19:00] about their, their battle.
Heather Sullivan: Mm-hmm.
Becky Horn: And some, some want to share it and, and reach out for help and use your radar to determine which type of person that is and, and you might want to help them find a support group.
Or you might want to just be the one that they talked to that day.
Melissa: Yeah, I know. In my case, I think I was just so grateful that I caught mine early, that I didn't dare ask for anything. You know what I mean? Yeah. Mm-hmm. I didn't wanna say I'm so grateful, but this really sucks. You know, two things can be true at the same time.
So anybody out there that's going through this. Just tell people what you need. You have friends that do that would do it. You just have to speak up and say it, and I was not willing to do that. So looking back, I see that I was stubborn and it, it was not my friend's fault necessarily. Let's talk about how you guys solely rely on donations, fundraisers, and volunteers.
We talked about your signature fundraising [00:20:00] event for the Triangle area, pink Pumps and bow ties gala. November 1st at the Pavilion. What else can people do to just directly donate? How do they find out more information about where to go?
Becky Horn: We would love for people to go to our website and of course, front and center on there, there is our mission and a donate button.
Melissa: Good?
Becky Horn: Yeah. So, for the, we receive no state or federal funding. We depend on institutions and individuals and grants from corporations to fund us. And we, we wake up there at the beginning of the year and go beat the bushes and get more money, more monies in the door because we know more people are gonna be coming in for our services.
So if, if people find themselves that this mission that we have resonates with them and they want to be part of the help, then it, it would be great if they could go on our website and, and make a donation.
Melissa: And that's pretty in pink foundation.org.
Becky Horn: Right?
Melissa: Can you tell [00:21:00] us a little bit about who your champions are?
Becky Horn: Well, about half of our champions are mothers with children at home. They are about at an average age, age of about 49, and most of them work, they're hairstylists and yoga instructors, cashiers, bus drivers. They are typically hourly or self-employed and find themselves with, with no income when they can't work.
Melissa: So just your neighbor, your, the, the regular person you pass on the street. Exactly. Mm-hmm.
Becky Horn: Right? Mm-hmm. These, these are people that provide extremely valuable services for our community, and the more we can do to help them get their life back and get back into the role that they had, the better it is for all of us.
Melissa: What advice would you give to every woman that is listening about, in particular, early detection?
Becky Horn: Well, in North Carolina, we are so fortunate to be in this state [00:22:00] where medical help is so good in North Carolina with early detection and treatment. A breast cancer patient has a 98% chance of survival. So you can hear in that the most important thing is early detection and treatment.
So I, the message we would like to leave with people, with women is go get your mammogram as soon as your doctor says you qualify for it. Age wise, or, or, or condition wise, go get your mammogram because early detection is everything.
Melissa: Do you know? What kind of the guidelines are at this point? They, I feel like they keep changing.
Do you know what the guidelines are?
Becky Horn: You really need to check with your own doctor.
Melissa: Yeah.
Becky Horn: You know, for example, in my case, because I had such a strong history of breast cancer in my family, I started mine much earlier than a person with no family history might have started, but I want to add a word of caution to that is that 85% of the people that get breast cancer have no family history.
Mm-hmm. So just because it's not in your family doesn't mean. That you're not gonna get it.
Melissa: I will [00:23:00] throw out there, I had a mammogram in December and I was diagnosed in June, so mine was not caught or it wasn't there. I don't know. We'll never know, but I found it myself. So self checks, I cannot underscore enough the importance of self checks out there.
So, and if anybody wants to reach out to me directly, I'd be happy to talk. Might cry a little bit. We'll see, but, but I'd be happy to talk to you about your journey. Everybody's journey is so different to what I needed to go through. Might not necessarily be what other people need to go through. It's all so different, but we're all in the same unfortunate party and we can all help each other out.
Becky Horn: That. Those are really good. That's really good advice right there, Melissa. Thank you.
Melissa: Absolutely. Thank you ladies so much for being here. My pleasure. I really appreciate it. Thank you for all you're doing and the fact that it's just four of you. I also want to mention that because it's not like [00:24:00] you're this giant organization that's able to pull off so many things, but you ladies do it so seamlessly and I appreciate everything that you do for our community.
Becky Horn: Thank you and thank you for helping you get the word out so that more people will know about us and come get our help.
Melissa: It's my pleasure. [00:25:00]