TCAF Financial Assistance Grant Recipients

I first would like to say thank you for helping me survive.  This e gift card to Walmart will really help me take care of my 2 fur babies.  It is hard to balance buying food for me and my babies, but I know I would starve before they would.  I would use some assistance for buying new activities to help manage stress, possibly a new book, or an activity book for while I am in treatment.  With extra funds I try to buy cleaning essentials when I can.  If I could tell anyone battling the same cancer I am it would be to have faith and focus on the good.  Focus on what you can control.  My relationship with God has strengthen during this time.  Some days are good, some days are full of fear, some days are full of hope, some days are full of doubt.  With the help of my relationship with God, my sister, and my treatment team, daily I face cancer and I am currently winning.  I hope humans in my situation can focus on the fact that not all cancer is a death sentence, and sometimes in the middle of something so ugly and scary, beauty can be created.

Thank you for all your help.

• James Wilson

This grant would mean so much to my family, since this diagnosis I’ve done all I can to keep my head above water with our bills, my husband was the sole provider in our household and worked nonstop to provide for us and make sure we never went without, after his diagnosis I’ve been trying to hold it all together myself and getting help with rent in itself is a HUGE blessing. So, thank you!

• Kristen & Jason Estrada

Hello from the Mendez family. Thank you so much for the grant you gave us. We were able to purchase groceries and have a wonderful Christmas dinner with all our family. We also bought groceries for the following two weeks. We cannot express how much it meant to us.

The Grant to pay my rent for a month will enable me to live in my apartment as I recover from my last two surgeries for testicular cancer. They resected my abdomen, removed the massive tumor and one kidney while grafting the aorta and vena cava in July.

Next week I will have surgery to remove a tumor on my neck. I have been staying with my parents since the middle of April. I need to get back to my apartment to finish my healing before I can return to my life as normal. Thank you for the assistance.

- Harry Patterson

Luke Perkins passed away at only 22 years old after a courageous battle with cancer. Luke is survived by his mother, fiancé and daughter. We provided Luke’s family with gas and groceries to help them during this difficult time.

Thank you so much for the generous financial assistance grant to pay two months of my rent payments. The financial devastation that follows a cancer diagnosis is overwhelming. Add to that the birth of our first child has been moved up to May 22. The monies provided from the grant will help me to focus on getting well and preparing for the arrival of the baby while I am unable to work. I can’t thank you enough for removing the worries of maintaining a place to live while I fight this difficult battle.

- Brian Carter

This grant has really helped my family out a lot. Just having one less thing to stress about is incredible to say the least. I can focus more on getting better and being there for my wife and kids. Can’t thank TCAF enough.

- Anthony Zuber

In early April 2019 Mason Pritchett, my husband, received the dreadful diagnosis of testicular cancer. Mason is only 31 years old with a full life ahead of him. Mason’s love and laughter has touched all around him and is contagious! Mason and I recently eloped as soon as he got blindsided by this diagnosis to hopefully help cover the medical expenses. Mason has been out of work since April when he was diagnosed because Dr Bhalla, his oncologist, wanted to begin treatment as soon as possible. The cancer is in his chest between his lungs and above his heart. He has been given a poor prognosis because of the yolk sac around his germ cell tumor. He has already gone through four rounds of chemotherapy so far, each round is for five days a week and for seven hours a day. Yesterday Mason had his tumor removed from his chest and from the sounds of it, the whole mass has been removed. We won’t know the results from pathology until sometime next week. If the tumor is still cancerous, he’ll need to have 2 more rounds of chemotherapy. The grant from TCAF has really helped to take a lot of worry and stress away for at least one month because one income alone is not enough to pay the monthly bills. Thank you so much! This is the greatest news ever! - Mason & Shannon Pritchett

We are most grateful for Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation. The assistance helped me pay 2 car payments and made such a difference while going through treatment.

- Goncalvez Family

This email brings me great joy. My wife, whom is also my friend, caregiver and life support system struggled with me through this cancer journey. We are fortunate to have lived a comfortable life well before February 14, 2019. After being diagnosed with testicular cancer on February 15, 2019, my whole life changed rapidly in seconds. It took me awhile to process what my Urologist told me just before surgery. No one ever wants to hear those words, you have cancer. This financial grant is an open door for bigger things. I know now that there is hope through your foundation for patients like myself. I had no energy or anything of me to give when I wrote to your foundation regarding the cancer diagnosis. This grant will help to put food on my table and gas in my vehicle. This brings relief to me and lessens the stress level. Thank you very much Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation. - Anonymous

The money will definitely help with getting drinks and food to help feed us and since I have to do more chemotherapy the gas will help get me back and forth to treatment in Calhoun which is 35 miles from my house one way. God Bless and thank you so much for helping me out.

- Robert Bynum

Outstanding! I'm so relieved right now, I feel like such a burden has been lifted. No words can fully express how grateful we are for this help. TCAF has made it possible for us to not be in jeopardy of losing our car, our family would be in a bad predicament if that happened, hence going to chemo treatments,  doctor's appointments, picking up prescriptions, lab work, school, etc, etc. We would be crippled without it so please accept a million thank you's! What an absolute gift!

- Stires Family

I never thought I would get cancer, especially at age 31. After undergoing multiple surgeries and now chemotherapy, I am feeling the financial burden that comes along with a cancer diagnosis. The Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation generously agreed to help us with our rent payment. This is incredible for my wife and I as we have had to rely on family for a place to stay during treatment all while continuing to pay rent on our house. Without this grant money, we would have had additional stress. This is a huge weight off my shoulders and I will forever be grateful to the Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation.

Thank you so much for the help with gas and groceries while I am going through treatment! It helps take some of the burden away while I focus on treatment. - Tate Pellegrin

Cancer is something no one expects in their lives. I have a small happy family, a wife, and a daughter. I felt I was the luckiest man on earth until this unexpected disease came and hit my family. As known, this disease requires continuous treatment, which means it requires money. My wife and I have been working hard to make sure not only my treatment goes well, but also our family needs are met. This financial assistance grant will be a huge help, as we can catch our breath a little and make sure our home is secured. I, along with my wife would like to take this opportunity and thank the organization for coming forward to help us. It definitely means a lot! So, thank you Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation! 

I want to thank the TCAF for this financial assistance grant. During Covid I had to take new measures to keep myself safe during the many months of chemotherapy which was costly but necessary. This grant is a significant burden lifted off my shoulders to help me refocus on the bigger picture of life and not the small expenses that tend to be consuming. 
Thank you again to everyone at TCAF

- Bobby Deren

My family and I want to give a big thanks to Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation for helping us pay our past due rent through a grant offered by their financial assistance program. It is exactly what we needed to help us get back to focusing on our beautiful new family. We had just moved into our new home, financed a car and were expecting our new baby girl, Jazzmae, when the news of my testicular cancer turned our world upside down. Since May of this year, I have had two surgeries that I recovered nicely from, but it has taken an emotional and physical toll on my family. I have dealt with a lot of guilt due to the financial burden my cancer has brought on us.  I am only 26 years old and testicular cancer was the last thing I thought I would ever have to worry about at such a young age.  It wasn’t until my mom started researching about testicular cancer that we realized there really wasn’t a lot of information out there about a very common kind of cancer that effects young men ages 15-44.  My mom found your website, Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation, and it was full of educational resources, support groups and tools to help connect with a very compassionate community of people that are there to provide help and hope. We are grateful to you for your financial support, and it will lesson our financial burden.

Our Thanks and Appreciation,

Trey Owen and family!

Thank you TCAF. The financial assistance grant will allow me to put this amount towards other living expenses.

- Joshua Hill

Thank you for assisting me with this matter. I have been out of work (self-employed) for a half a year and my income has been affected by this health setback. I am about to receive a stem cell transplant soon and this grant will help me with grocery bills and gas. Thank you so much for your help TCAF!

- Henry Meinberg

Cancer is something no one expects in their lives. I have a small happy family, a wife, and a daughter. I felt I was the luckiest man on earth until this unexpected disease came and hit my family. As known, this disease requires continuous treatment, which means it requires money. My wife and I have been working hard to make sure not only my treatment goes well, but also our family needs are met. This financial assistance grant will be a huge help, as we can catch our breath a little and make sure our home is secured. I, along with my wife would like to take this opportunity and thank the organization for coming forward to help us. It definitely means a lot! So, thank you Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation! 

Antionne has since passed away. We are grateful that we were able to provide financial assistance to him during a very stressful time. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

Thank you so much for the grant, it will definitely help go towards my car-note balance, which I haven’t been able to catch up and pay. I appreciate all you guys do and stands for it gives me and people like me hope! You guys are amazing.

- Antionne Page

Thank you for the financial assistance! I am grateful. :) Each monthly payment for my car is over $300. This help, and the high gas prices, will help me travel to events to tell my story and encourage others with my book to keep moving forward, making connections, and inspiring others. Thank you again for your support.

- Randy Herring