Cancer Treatment is Only Part of the Journey

For 33 years, Bay Area Cancer Connections (BACC) has answered a question its founder, Jill Freidenrich, first confronted during her own breast cancer treatment: what happens to the woman who doesn’t have access to the resources, connections and support needed to navigate everything that comes with a cancer diagnosis? 

Freidenrich had access to exceptional medical care, including physician, Dr. Ellen Mahoney, with whom she would go on to found BACC. Yet even with outstanding treatment, she discovered how daunting life beyond medical care could be.  Insurance might cover the treatment, but it did not necessarily cover the wig, the ride home, the groceries or the electric bill. And it couldn’t provide the reassurance of talking with someone who truly understood what she was experiencing. She built BACC to close that gap for everyone else. Today, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and one in 79 with ovarian cancer. Since its founding, BACC has served more than 40,000 of them with its free-of-charge, personalized, all-inclusive services.

For many clients, BACC is among the first calls they make after receiving a diagnosis, sometimes before they have even shared the news with family or friends. Healthcare providers and nurse navigators throughout the Bay Area regularly refer patients to BACC because they know the organization can respond quickly and personally.

From that first conversation, support is tailored to the individual.

A newly diagnosed client may be matched through BACC’s Buddy Program with a trained volunteer who has experienced a similar diagnosis or treatment. Another may join a support group, meet one-on-one with a cancer information specialist to better understand a diagnosis or treatment options, or visit BACC’s Boutique for a complimentary wig, post-surgical bra, or breast prosthesis.

The goal is not to prescribe a single path. It is to meet each person where they are and provide the information, resources, and community they need to move forward with greater confidence.

What sets BACC apart, says Chief Development & Engagement Officer Lydia Kokolskyj-West, is the personalized service, speed reach, and its community of support. The organization distributes roughly 200 emergency grants a year — $1,100 each — to clients who experience financial hardship while undergoing cancer treatment. The grants help cover rent, groceries, and more. This spring, Brittany, a 24-year-old mother of three, relocated to Redwood City for breast cancer treatment while her husband worked multiple jobs to support their family. A BACC emergency grant provided some financial breathing room, allowing Brittany to focus more fully on her health and her children without the immediate fear of losing their home. 

Since the pandemic, BACC has also taken its services on the road in a Tiffany-blue mobile resource unit. The brainchild of BACC’s Executive Director Rina Bello, “Tiffany,” as the staff affectionately call her, is stocked with wigs, prosthetics, and educational materials. “When someone is navigating cancer, accessing support shouldn’t be another challenge they have to overcome,” shares Bello. “Tiffany allows us to bring not only resources, but compassion, dignity, and connection directly into the communities that need us most.”