Tips for Planning a Cancer Patient Fundraiser

Raise Money & Boost Morale If you have a friend or relative who was recently diagnosed with cancer, you may have asked yourself “How do I to set up a cancer fundraiser?”. Planning a benefit for a cancer patient requires planning, communication, and a little hard work. You can keep it small and raise money from family, friends, and your neighborhood, or you can go big and involve your local community and benefit from generous media attention and businesses. How do I begin fundraising for a cancer patient? Life Credit offers four helpful tips to get you started!   Plan Ahead – Gather a small group of loved ones, you’ll want to get help and begin planning a cancer benefit weeks beforehand. Pick the location of where you will host the event, such as a local restaurant, person’s house, or other venue. You should also come up with a group activity for the benefit, such as bowling, a silent auction, potluck, or marathon Create Media Attention – Get the word out about the event to generate buzz about your event and cancer fundraising. Many newspapers and community message boards have local event listings for free, and some media outlets may even be interested in covering the benefit for an upcoming story. You can also utilize social media to let folks know. Create a private Facebook page and invite friends, family members, coworkers, and others so they can get the latest news about donations and fundraising. Get Donations – Contact local merchants for donations. You can ask a member of the planning committee who is comfortable with public speaking to do this task. Be sure to provide...

Pediatric Cancer: What to do if Your Child is Diagnosed

Anybody who has ever had a loved one who has dealt with cancer knows the feelings of helplessness and fear that can occur upon a diagnosis. But when it comes to a child being diagnosed, that’s a whole other level of devastation. Due to today’s technology, more than 80 percent of kids with cancer now survive for five years or more. Still, pediatric cancer is the second leading cause of death in people younger than 15 years of age. Here are the major types of cancer that affect children and what to do if your son or daughter is ever diagnosed. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia This is the most common type of cancer in kids and accounts for more than 30 percent of all pediatric cases. Symptoms include bones and joint pain, fever, weight loss, weakness, and bleeding. Brain Tumors This makes up about 27 percent of childhood cancers. Signs include headaches, balance issues, vision or hearing problems and frequent vomiting. Wilms Tumor Wilms tumors occur in the kidneys and cause swelling of the belly, fever, pain, and poor appetite. The disease is typically found in kids that are ages three to four. When Your Child has Cancer Dealing with a diagnosis of cancer can be very, very tough to do. There will be many emotions that will run through your head. Some things to keep in mind when you first receive the diagnosis are: It will be a crisis for the entire family Ways to improve coping include getting help from a support group or cancer team, involving others and taking the time to care for yourself Get a second...

Mind Over Cancer: Meditation for Cancer Patients Helps

Meditation is known to have a positive effect on the emotional and psychological impact cancer has on its survivors. Some recent studies have also suggested that mindfulness also strongly impacts the physical bodies of cancer survivors, with effects extending to a cellular level. According to researchers at the Alberta Health Services and the University of Calgary, breast cancer patients that practice meditation experience positive cellular changes within their bodies. The study shows that telomeres were longer in the group of women who participated in mindfulness compared with survivors who didn’t undergo these interventions. What is Meditation? Meditation is an age-old practice from the eastern world that helps people to stay aware in the present moment. Regular practice leads to clarity, insight, serenity, and improves the wellbeing of the mind and body. There are many different forms of mediations that can help cancer patients; from mindful meditation, to meditation that relives stress and anxiety. How to Meditate Find a comfortable position on the floor. You can use a mat or cushion to help prop your body up. Sit cross-legged and place your hands on your lap. Focus on your breath. Count for every inhale you take. If your mind begins to wander, allow it to, but gently pull your attention back to the breath. If you find that meditating alone is difficult, find a group that hosts guided meditation practices. Many hospitals offer these types of services to help cancer patients and survivors. A Lifetime of Help Here at LifeCredit, we want you to not only be mindful of your life, but mindful of your finances. That is why we...

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital: Cancer Advocates for 50 Years

Headquartered in Memphis, TN, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has been providing treatments and research for children with cancer and other catastrophic ailments nationwide since 1962. Danny Thomas launched the nonprofit medical institution on the premise that “no child should die in the dawn of life.” Over 50 Years of Dedication Here at Life Credit, we want to not only supply loans for cancer patients, but also endless amounts of research and info to help you fight your condition and lead a full and happy life. That is why we highly recommend visiting the St. Jude website if you have a child in your life that was diagnosed with cancer. For more than half a century, the dedicated professionals at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have been on an endless quest for the cure. They provide numerous clinical and research innovations, such as their Pediatric Cancer Genome Project, which has successfully pinpointed the genetic factors behind some of the most deadly pediatric cancers by comparing the genomes from cancerous and normal cells from more than 700 patients. Endless Treatment Programs St. Jude features a plethora of treatment programs for virtually every type of pediatric cancer including brain tumors, solid tumors, Leukemia and Lymphoma, bone marrow transplant and other types of diseases, such as Sickle Cell Disease and blood disorders. Innovation and Intervention Many discoveries at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have completely transformed how doctors treat kids with cancer and other deadly disease. Since it was established, the survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which is the most predominant cancer in children, has increased from just 4 percent in 1962...

Getting Financial Assistance for Cancer Patients the Painless Way

Cancer is many different things, from frightening to chronic, and in some lucky cases, it is simply “removed.” In most cases it is expensive. How can cancer patients get financial assistance as painlessly as possible? Standard Financial Assistance Help from relatives and caregivers, if available, can be wonderful, however, it is often limited, not enough, or not available. Cancer can be a long battle that exhausts the available financial assistance for all but the very wealthy. That can be true even when you have great health insurance because of expensive copays, claim denials, you run into unexpected expenses, and very often because a patient’s earning ability drops. Today, many people are using social media as a way to seek financial assistance. You may have noticed an increasing trend in online fundraising campaigns and perhaps even helped organize a fundraiser for someone who has cancer. And, if you have a life insurance policy, you might be able to surrender it, borrow from its cash value or request an accelerated death benefit pay-out. Unfortunately, these options are not available to most. A Simple Way to Access Value in Your Life Insurance Policy For those with a life insurance policy, we offer one of the easiest ways for cancer patients to get the financial assistance they need. We offer a Living Benefit Loan of up to 50% of the death benefit that can be used by you for any reason. We take on the premium payments. Our loan is later repaid from the death benefit proceeds with the remainder going to your beneficiaries. Talk to an Experienced Counselor Today If you think...