Since its inception, Project Purple has been a charity on a mission to end pancreatic cancer. All of the funds Project Purple raises go specifically to fund research, provide patient financial aid or to provide scholarship funds for students who have been impacted by pancreatic cancer. The majority of money Project Purple raises comes from the generous people who donate to our incredible teams of runners. As Project Purple continues to grow and broaden our reach, we will be introducing many new and exciting programs. Since this month is pancreatic cancer awareness month, we are excited to kick off our new capital campaign called “50 in 50.”
While Project Purple recognizes the importance of funding medical research, we also realize that there are many people fighting pancreatic cancer who need help immediately. Often, those patients cannot afford to pay for their treatment and their other household expenses while undergoing treatments for their cancer.
We believe financial assistance for pancreatic cancer patients is sorely lacking and our goal is to help correct that deficit. Project Purple has had a long-standing Patient Financial Aid (PFA) program, but the truth is that we now have a waiting list of patients who need help immediately. All of the money raised from this capital campaign will be specifically earmarked for the PFA program so that we can help many more patients who are currently facing pancreatic cancer.
What is ‘Fifty in Fifty’?
Simply put, beginning on November 10th, 2016, Project Purple plans to raise a minimum of $50,000 in the next fifty days. The more money we raise, however, the more financial assistance we can provide to our cancer warriors. Project Purple chairman Dino Verrelli says, “If we raise $75,000, we will put all of that money towards Patient Financial Aid. It won’t go to any other programs.”
The reality is that even for patients who have health insurance, battling pancreatic cancer can be a potentially financially devastating endeavor. Both Project Purple Executive Director Elli Erickson and Dino Verrelli were struck by the enormity of the bills their parents faced as they battled pancreatic cancer. Dino explains, “With my dad, we had so many bills, even after the fact.”
Elli, who lost both of her parents to pancreatic cancer, adds, “There seems to be a big gap in the patient care. We don’t want to lose sight of the need for research, but there are thousands of people who are fighting this disease who do not have the resources to do so. My drive is to raise as much money as we can with this campaign.”
Expanding Patient Financial Aid
While Project Purple has had its PFA program in place for years, the addition of Executive Director Elli Erickson will help tremendously in our efforts to broaden the program. We have helped many patients already, but the number of those in need of financial help continues to grow daily.
The money in the Patient Financial Aid fund is available to patients who are currently fighting pancreatic cancer. Money can be used to pay medical bills, including co-pays and medication. It can also be used for living expenses, such as car payments, mortgage, rent, groceries, and gas. We believe that no patient should have to choose between paying for treatment and paying for food or rent.
Help Alleviate Worry for Those Who are Fighting
Patients who receive a cancer diagnosis frequently worry about how they will pay their mounting medical bills. Co-pays for doctor visits can cost $50, and cancer patients typically have multiple doctor appointments each month. Co-pays for CT scans or other tests run in the hundreds of dollars. Procedures, surgeries and hospital stays can cost patients thousands of dollars, even with insurance. Throw in the expense of chemotherapy treatments, weekly blood tests, and medications, and the bills pile up with frightening speed.
Where Your Donations Will Go
Here are some examples of what different sponsorship levels can provide:
$25: Blanket of Hope Care Package
$50: Medical Co-Pay
$100: Gas card for patient attending doctor exams/treatments
$250: Groceries
$500: Car Payment
$750: Utility Bills
$1000: Anti-Nausea Patch (Critical during chemotherapy to continue treatments; many times not covered by insurance)
$1500: Rent/Mortgage
$2000: Medical Expenses.
Anyone who donates $50 or more will receive a Project Purple T-shirt.
Please help Project Purple help those who are in a battle for their lives. Be a hero to someone with pancreatic cancer and make a tax-deductible donation to our $50 in Fifty campaign! To make a donation, please follow this link:
