This holiday season we're thrilled and grateful to be celebrating for the first time as a family of three. Last year, The SAMFund awarded us a grant to help cover the high costs of post-cancer fertility treatments. Thanks in part to your generous support, we were finally able to recognize our longtime dream of building a family: our beautiful daughter Ellie was born this September. Thank you for your financial help, for the support you showed us throughout the process, and for joyfully celebrating with us when our dream came true. You have a special place in our hearts and in our new family!

~Blake and Megan V.

The SAMFund helped us pay off medical debt and awarded me funds to get eyebrow tattoos when mine didn't grow back after chemo. It is so nice to be able to feel and look normal after such a long journey. The SAMFund had a hand in helping us get back on our feet and into this new life we now live. Here we are 5 years later...our family is thankful everyday for the help we received. ~ Kari M.

If not for The SAMFund, I wouldn't have been able to graduate from my Masters program in Biology. The SAMFund paid the tuition for my last semester, as well as my MCAT prep course. I have now graduated from my Masters program and am currently applying to medical school to pursue my lifelong goal of becoming a physician, things I didn't think were possible for me after cancer. ~Jacquae W.

My 2007 SAMFund grant paid off a high interest medical student loan that would have plagued me for many years, paid for exceptional psychotherapy to help me navigate how to become a balanced doctor, and paid for yoga classes that helped me regain my strength and find my center. This grant in no small part enabled me to continue on my path of becoming a Primary Care physician for poor, medically marginalized people. ~Jessica L.

Even with a good job and good health insurance, paying for treatment as a young person is tough. The SAMFund was definitely a turning point in my survivorship. I was able to pay off the balance of my medical bills with your help. I will be forever grateful. ~Ginny-Beth J.

Earlier this year, The SAMFund developed a Webinar series called "Moving Forward With Your Financial Health" to address some of the most common challenges faced by young adults after treatment, and offer them the resources, advice and information to overcome them. This online program has also given us an opportunity to partner with other cancer organizations doing amazing work. Here is what Beth, who participated in a recent Webinar about insurance options for young adult survivors (presented by the Cancer Legal Resource Center), had to say:

My COBRA payments had increased to $1,200 a month and my out-of-pocket expenses had doubled... Just when I thought I'd lose everything - from where I lived, to the food on my table - I heard about The SAMFund's Webinar. During the Webinar, I learned all of the options for health insurance in my state. I am now enrolled in MHIP and my insurance will only cost me $400 a month. Without The SAMFund, I never would have known thisexisted. The importance of Webinars like these cannot be measured. That single one changed the course of my life. So thank you...and keep up the good work. ~Beth S., 7-year survivor

The goal of The SAMFund Survivors' Network program is to connect young adult cancer survivors to other in their local area. Through free social events and activities throughout the year, we give them an opportunity to share their stories, learn from other survivors, and move forward together. Amelia (northern California) and Kyle (Boston), both SAMFund grant recipients, have been instrumental in coordinating events over the past year. In their words:

Part of surviving and moving forward is being part of a community that understands, supports and celebrates both the challenges and the milestones of being a young adult cancer survivor. These Survivors' Network events exemplify the vital role that The SAMFund plays in providing support and solidarity to young adult survivors. Local events provide us with a space where we feel accepted without question or qualification. At these events, we are reminded and inspired that as survivors we are not damaged goods, but have become stronger and better versions of ourselves. We are proud to help The SAMFund expand its network of support and programs to young adult survivors across the country.

The SAMFund's goal is to help young adults regain their financial health and independence after the devastating
effects of cancer treatment. Through its unique programs, The SAMFund helps survivors empower themselves
to move forward towards their personal, professional and educational goals.