Much like our founder, we believe healthcare is a fundamental human right. For many families, the daily cost of life-saving medications for a loved one, or their child can far exceed their basic living expenses.
We are committed to doing everything in our power to advocate for our fellow patients, especially those facing economic hardship. But we do not stop there. Our mission is also to step into the gaps, to provide financial relief, connect families with vital resources, and offer programs designed to help them rebuild their lives despite the unfair burden leukemia brings.
From a young age, we are taught to do what is morally right. At our core, we believe it is our duty to care for our neighbors, not because it is easy, not because it benefits us, but because it is simply the right thing to do. Our neighbors are all we have. If we do not stand with them, and if our government chooses to leave them behind, then it falls to us and our communities to lift up the poor and the sick.
Our mission is to advocate for and support our fellow leukemia patients, regardless of their background.
- P.D. Wylie (Our Founder)
“AFTER BEING DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER AT 16 I noticed a problem. A problem, I am sure many of you have also noticed.”
Despite us living in the richest country on the planet:
- Martin Luther King Jr.
“by the millions people in the 'other America' find themselves perishing on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity”
So he decided not to use his one Make-A-Wish Foundation wish on himself, but instead to start this charity to help others in need.
Let me set the scene:
It’s 1967. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gives a speech at Stanford University. In this speech, Dr. King speaks of an America he calls the “other America.”
The people living in this other America live paycheck to paycheck. They struggle to afford basic necessities and face the daily burden of socio-economic hardship.
The checks they bring home each month never match the cost of their everyday expenses - despite living in the richest country on the planet.
This was the reality of being part of a lower socio-economic class in America in 1967. It has now been 58 years, and yet, millions of people are still living in poverty.
Families with sick children, sick elders, and sick siblings are still dying every single day.
Meanwhile, the minimum wage in this country remains $7.25, and our government continues to try cutting the few social safety nets that those living in the “other America” depend on to survive - all so that the wealthiest 1% can enjoy even more tax breaks.
THE COSTS FOR FAMILIES?
Due to the extreme costs of these life-saving medications (both with and without insurance) millions of working-class families across our country are forced to decide whether to pay for the life-saving medication their family member, relative, or child needs to survive, or to cover day-to-day expenses like groceries or rent.
In The End ITS SIMPLE.
ITS NOT ABOUT PARTY POLITICS,
OR POLITICAL TALKING POINTS.
ITS ABOUT RIGHT AND WRONG.
Disclaimer: This video features an event independently organized by our founder, separate from Covers to Fight Cancer, though our organization attended. No Covers to Fight Cancer funds were used. Views expressed are those of the speakers and do not reflect our organization. As a nonpartisan nonprofit, we do not endorse any political party or candidate - our only bias is toward what’s best for leukemia patients.
THESE ARE THE LIVES OF REAL PEOPLE.
There are real lives on the line. When our government refuses to do its job and protect its constituents, the American people are left with no choice but to look elsewhere for help. If the government cannot provide citizens with the basic services they need to survive, the responsibility then falls to our neighbors to care for those who are sick, poor, and unable to help themselves. At the end of the day, every human being should be taught from a young age the difference between right and wrong: the importance of basic human decency and empathy.
“The last time I checked, the right thing to do is to help the poor and the sick. The last time I checked, the right thing to do is to help those who may not be able to help themselves - not because it benefits us, and not because it’s easy, but simply because it is the right thing to do.” - Our Founder (P.D. Wylie)