We have purposeful programs for cancer patients created to support and meet the unmet needs of adolescents and young adult cancer patients throughout their journey.
Carley’s Closet was started in 2011, when 15-year-old Carley Rutledge was diagnosed with cancer and being treated at a pediatric medical center. Feeling out of place among the other pediatric patients, she saw a great need for programs, support and sources specifically for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients.
Carley’s Closet provides New Diagnosis Bags, pouches and stockings during the holidays filled with age-appropriate comfort and entertainment items to make an AYAs patient stay in the hospital more comfortable.
We are so grateful for our community for helping us to purchase the items that are lovingly packed into each Carley’s Closet bag we distribute. We’ve made it as easy as possible to contribute by creating a wishlist on Amazon.
Every item purchased from our wishlist directly helps bring comfort to patients by providing much-needed essentials in each bag, making a meaningful difference during their journey.
Loss of fertility is a significant side-effect of cancer treatment for patients diagnosed during their reproductive years and can be a source of considerable emotional distress.
Because treatment often needs to begin as quickly as possible, a patient may not receive all of the information about the side-effects of treatment. Nausea, hair loss, exhaustion and lack of appetite are often addressed but long-term side effects like infertility aren’t always top of mind for a patient’s medical time.
Recognizing this was a key piece of education that AYAs weren’t receiving, oftentimes until it was too late, RCF, in partnership with Moncrief Cancer Institute, helped develop the first ever collaborative, community-based fertility preservation program which provides cancer patients with fertility preservation education, care coordination, and financial assistance for those who qualify.
Since the program was created, RCF has helped more than 300 patients to preserve their fertility.
One of the biggest challenges for patients wishing to preserve their fertility is the cost of the procedure. While RCF is proud to be able to provide financial assistance to patients who qualify, there’s still a need for more funding.
In 2023, RCF was instrumental in coming up with a longer term solution. The Family Preservation Act passed in Texas which requires insurance policies to cover fertility preservation, thanks in large part to RCF’s advocacy and Carley’s testimony.
Since the program was created, RCF has helped almost 400 patients to preserve their fertility.
Research shows that more than 50% of AYAs with cancer experience significant emotional, psychological, and social distress. Even more challenging, is that there weren’t any programs for cancer patients locally to address this issue.
To help with this need, we worked with Moncrief Cancer Institute to create and implement an online psychosocial screening tool for AYAs to take when visiting their primary provider.
If concerns are identified, a personalized “AYA Care Plan” is created and shared with the patient’s primary provider for real-time intervention. Our funding supports the implementation of the screening tool into oncology practices as well as training physicians on how to use it.
Whether you or a loved one are beginning or in the midst of cancer treatment, often the last thing you have time for is updating family and friends on how things are going and even more so, what you might need help with.
Caregather is an online resource that allows family and friends of cancer patients to stay connected and informed during their cancer journey.
From providing updates on their treatment, sending gift cards, arranging meal trains, carpool schedules, grocery lists and other practical needs, Caregather allows patients and their families to communicate the best ways loved ones can provide support on the ground or send love from afar.
We fund patient programs that address unmet emotional and physical needs.
We work as a catalyst to increase awareness and early detection.
We support research for less toxic, personalized cancer therapies.
