Angel blog

Thank you to everyone that has made a year-end gift to Angel Foundation.  We are close to meeting the $15,000 challenge but we still need donors to step forward with a first time gift to Angel Foundation.  If you are new to Angel Foundation, please make a gift today.  If you are already a donor, you can help us make our goal by increasing your gift...

In late October, Angel Foundation announced a $10,000 challenge to new donors put forth by its board of directors.  The response was immediate and inspiring which led them to increase the challenge to $15,000!  We are on the way to meeting the challenge but we still need $3,000 in gifts from new donors to reach our goal.

Thank you so much to those who made gifts over the past...

Joseph has seen how his illness has introduced a layer of anxiety, apprehension and fear on each member of his family.  Even though he couldn't have prevented the cancer diagnosis, he feels a tremendous amount of guilt about imposing cancer on his family.  He is very grateful for his wife Maria--she has sacrificed and done everything possible to care for Joseph and to support their...

Requests for Angel Foundation's Financial Assistance program are at an all-time high.  The adults applying for assistance are regular people--they're homeowners, business owners, young and old, male and female.  Most of them have health insurance.  some face the normal pressures of parenting and others are parenting children with special needs or illnesses.  Many serve as...

Since 2001, Angel Foundation has served over 15,000 families facing a cancer diagnosis.  Thanks to your support, Angel Foundation is here to provide emergency financial assistance, education and support to help families grow stronger and find meaning in the cancer experience.  Thank you for helping make that possible.

Over the last several weeks you've read about Joseph, his...

Joseph continues to receive radiation treatments for his cancer (visit our blog at www.mnangel.org) and his family is doing their best to adjust to the"new normal".  Joseph's family is the center of his world and in spite of his cancer diagnosis, he still feels he has much to be grateful for.

As family conversation centered on the upcoming...

Over the last couple of weeks on this blog you've read about Joseph, his cancer diagnosis and his family. It is not an easy time for this family of five but Joseph and his wife Maria are determined that the cancer diagnosis will not break apart their family.  Angel Foundation's Facing Cancer Together program is helping them develop and strengthen their skills to better meet and manage the...

My husband has cancer.  "The news left me speechless," recalls Maria.  Her husband, Joseph, 48 years-old, in general good health and with little family history, had cancer.  There was nothing visibly wrong with Joseph--no wound to wrap,no special care to give but even so, their world was turned upside down.

"For once, I didn't know what to do," explains Maria.  "This was so very...

Last week you were introduced to Joseph and his family (The doctor said, "You have cancer." October 28, 2011).  You read about Joseph's shock as he received the news that he had cancer.  Joseph has now started treatment and is finding that the financial obligations, even with good health insurance, are difficult to meet.  Co-pays for daily radiation, increased costs for gas and...

"You have cancer.  It wasn't what I expected to hear my doctor say," remembers Joseph.  "It took my breath away for a moment and then the questions started.  What will treatment cost?  Will I be able to work?  How long will it take?  Will I survive?  How do I tell my wife, my kids?"

No one is immune from receiving a cancer diagnosis.  One day you don't have it, the next day you...

I am continually amazed by how generous people in Minnesota can be. A couple of days ago, I visited the warehouse where the Angel’s Attic benefit sale was being set up. It was truly unbelievable. This 45,000 square foot space is brimming with a lot of fabulous stuff – from furniture to antiques to Halloween decorations....

On October 3, Angel Foundation will begin the Education and Support Series for the Facing Cancer Together program. This year’s series will bring some exciting changes:  we will be holding the series at the new Angel Foundation office and we will extend the series from five to six weeks in length in response to many...

“The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of tiny pushes of each honest worker.”  Helen Keller

A favorite quote and one that I’ve considered many times when reflecting on the significant impact that volunteers  - these honest workers - provide to non-profit organizations.  Minnesota is rich in volunteers; ranked 3...

No one needs to be reminded that the last couple of years have been an economic rollercoaster for American families.  Even those who have been lucky enough to hold on to jobs, homes and dreams for the future, feel the cloud of anxiety hovering from time to time.

When an adult receives a cancer diagnosis, not only are dreams threatened--often their everyday financial security becomes...

I was asked to help the youngest children's group (ages 5-8) with a task of writing their hopes and dreams on a piece of paper. I approached a little boy who was staring down at his paper looking bewildered.  He wasn’t old enough to write himself and I asked if I could help him. He already had one hope on his paper from another volunteer and it read, “I hope my dad’s cancer goes...

On July 23, Andrew Zimmern, the famous James Beard award-winning TV personality, chef, food writer and teacher, was one of three prominent chefs to donate his time and talent to create a memorable meal for eight delighted guests.

The evening was made possible by donors Ann and Vince  O’Brien, who made  the winning  bid of $6,000 for this live auction item at the Angel Awards gala in...

Everyone has heard the saying that laughter is good medicine. However, what people tend to forget is that it is not only the patient living with cancer that needs laughter, but the whole family. When someone in a family is diagnosed with cancer, everyone in the family is affected and fun is usually one of the first things to fall off the to-do list. 

According to Psychology Today.com,...

What does an extra $100 mean to an individual?

For most of us, it may mean a nice dinner out or a brand new outfit or tickets to a ballgame. But, for an individual facing a cancer diagnosis it can mean so much more.

Angel Foundation recently increased the amount of its financial assistance funding from $500 to $600 to offer more support to cancer patients in active...

Summer. The season of celebrations . . . graduations, weddings, Mother’s and Father’s Day, family reunions . . . the list goes on. More and more, people are recognizing special occasions with a gift to Angel Foundation. This summer, Nicole and Steve are celebrating their marriage and instead of spending money on wedding favors, they are making a donation to Angel Foundation in honor of...

The importance of positive thinking in the face of a cancer diagnosis is a commonly discussed subject in the cancer community among survivors, caregivers, physicians, social workers, and researchers. It is also a perennial topic among the parents and children who participate in our Facing Cancer Together Education and Support Series.

But what does it mean for a family to think positively...