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With this letter I wish to thank the Fund with all the strength of my soul for the support, interest, continuous optimism, and hope that I will win the battle against breast cancer. I am pending pensioner status. Namely, I am without a salary and without a pension until one is granted. With the little money that I do have I try to get by and provide for my daughter’s education. In addition to this economic burden I discovered that I had cancer in my left breast. I did not know who to turn to, what to do, where to go. I had no money, state benefits were non-existent […] From the first instant of my admission everyone’s: administration staff, nurses, healthcare assistants, treatment of me was outstanding. Everyone was constantly by my side for any problem or need. I thank them all. Above all, I want to thank the doctor… because without him the aforementioned would have no value. Finally, a massive thank you to the Fund for the help, support and hope that they give to women with breast cancer. I will pray for you and your colleagues. Thank you very much.
(15 May 2013) |
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I would like to express the feelings that were triggered by your kind and generous actions. Therefore I want to say a simple, ordinary but very big thank you, and wish you health and that you may have the strength to express for others, the same way that you quickly and directly did for me: love, compassion and affection.
(8 November 2012) |
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“My emotions are so intense and confused. These past ten months I have lived through so many things that I could have never imagined. A tumour which appears suddenly and changed my life and the life of my husband and children. Suddenly, as well as my family were living through a difficult and painful situation. To my great surprise, I found people next to me, strangers to me, who helped me, not just psychologically but financially as well. They helped me have the best medical care that I could ever imagine; In a hospital that I could have never afforded myself. In a room which was like an oasis to me after I exited the surgery. I felt relief when I lied down on my bed and I realized that I was alone in my room without another patient next to me. I feel lucky, because today, it is very difficult to meet good doctors with a sense of humanity and sensitivity towards their fellow human beings. Thankfully I was very lucky because the doctor who stood by me, supported me from the first moment and to this day continues to support me. He was next to me every moment I needed him without asking anything in return. We have a serious battle in the operating room and came out the winners. I feel very well and am happy that he is next to me and that we are fighting together. He is an excellent doctor and above all, a wonderful human being. The only thing I can do to thank him is to continue to fight with all my strength and win this ongoing battle. I would like to express my gratitude to all the people involved in the Breast Cancer Action Fund. I know that I may never meet them to thank them in person and I truly cannot find the words to express my feelings towards these people, who I consider my saviors. I wish God looks out for them and hope that they continue to help people in need.” (July 18, 2011) |
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“I am a poor, unemployed mother of a young 10-year old girl. I had a serious health problem and had to go to the hospital as soon as possible. Unfortunately, that was impossible for me because I am in a dire financial situation. Thanks to you though, I was able to be nursed at one of the best clinics, with the best nursing staff and of course, most importantly, I had my excellent doctor by my side. Thank you for taking care of all the costs for my rehabilitation and for helping me face my health problem. Though I had lost all hope, you appeared before me without me knowing you and without you knowing me and opened your arms, showed me humanity and gave me hope for life again. You were close to me in the most difficult time of my life. You opened your arms the moment when my own government did not show me the slightest bit of understanding or love. I was desperate since it couldn’t offer me even the necessities. Even a welfare card which I had pleaded for. Where you have moved me so much because from the first day, when you found out about my problems and without many formalities, you tried to help me. You made sure everything happened according to modern examination standards. In particular, the preoperative procedure and the study of the type of tumour, after the biopsy with the gun, under the microscope right before surgery. Following occurred a CT scans, a breast MRI, a bone scan and a DNA analysis. I felt very good in the hospital, I was handled like a first class citizen. Also, I would very much like to thank my doctor, from the first moment we met, I understood I had an amazing, exceptional, not only doctor, but person, next to me. I can speak and write for endless hours about this wonderful person. I will never forget him my entire life. I would like to thank him for the careful and successful breast operation, while I did not feel any pain at all. I ask God daily to keep him safe, because unfortunately there are few people like him. I pray God will have you all well so that you may offer help to all people who need you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
(June 4, 2011) |
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“The right to health was something that I imagined impossible, due to my financial difficulties, I was deprived of attempting to have a life filled with dreams. Like many women, I was faced with a problem on my right breast. Regardless of whether it is survivable, panic is unavoidable, not only because of what is to come, but also because you know all you cannot do given ones financial difficulties. Finally, I believe that within all my misfortune, I was very lucky to find the Fund and the people who so effortlessly embraced me and made me feel human and give me hope in this life. So, you were the only helpers in my attempt to survive and all I can feel is gratitude for covering my surgery and examination expenses. Thank you, not only for the financial support but also for the emotional support as well, which makes me believe that there are angels on earth. For me, you are angels and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I wish you well, that you continue your work and help women who are in need.”
(January 28, 2011) |
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“Your Fund is not just the BREAST CANCER ACTION FUND. It is a Fund of LOVE- CARING and HOPE for the financially weak patients suffered from cancer. My case proved this clearly. I have no words to describe the magnitude of all that has been offered to me. The FUND: By paying for my clinical and health care made me feel like I am not a person of a lesser God. Even if the state – politicians – the authorities cannot take care of our pain with dignity, society takes care of us through the substantial services offered by your Fund. Blessed and well may you all be. MY DOCTOR: I feel like within all my bad luck, in the case of my doctor, I won the lottery (in Volos, the doctors told me this was difficult), I had beside me a purveyor fighter against the enemy that is cancer. For me, the doctor represents the complete execution of the terms in the Hippocratic Oath. CLINICAL TREATMENT: Everything functioned perfectly, the tireless and pleasant staff, the comfortable room, and the constant care made me forget my troubles. All this thanks to the supervision of my doctor and the services of your Fund. MY STORY: I come from a poor family […]. Our income is low, and now breast cancer found me as well. I will fight this as I have fought my entire life. However, I do not feel alone; beside me, I have my irreplaceable doctor, and we will beat this together.”
(November 30, 2010) |
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“I approached you because I am a divorced and unemployed mother. I am the sole caretaker of my daughter who is a student at the School of Mathematics. I also support my widowed, elderly mother. This is not to excuse my unemployment, but it is extremely difficult to find a job, especially for a 54 year-old person and even more so during these difficult times of financial crisis. In the midst of all these setbacks, one more adventure was added: the appearance of cancer on my right breast. Despite regular mammograms, I had the misfortune of being misdiagnosed and thus the problem was not found in time. Even though I felt the lump and I had a serious family history with cancer, the doctors assured me that there was no problem. Fortunately for me I approached the BCA Fund and the doctor… immediately found the tumor. All necessary exams (computed tomographies, bone scans, MRIs) were immediately conducted and I was operated on. Now that I feel that I am ready and strong enough to overcome my illness successfully, I want to wish that other women with the same condition as me have the support and care of the BCA Fund.”
(May 15, 2010) |
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“My name is… and I am facing a financial problem. You gave me a solution to a problem I had no way of solving, and just by picking up the phone I realized that in these difficult times we are going through there are human beings with a capital H, who care about their fellow people. I have no words to thank you and I wish, from the bottom of my heart, that the Lord looks over you so that you may continue the work you are doing.”
(January 13, 2011) |
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“I wish to express my deep gratitude to the Breast Cancer Action Fund for their immeasurable assistance to me. I am a young person, 26 years of age, with limited financial resources and a feeling of insecurity regarding my professional future. Amidst the difficulties of everyday life I was faced with this health problem. My panic was such that I could not see clearly, but from the first moment that I communicated with the BCA Fund I felt a sense of humanity and trust. I thank you very much for helping me face my health problem directly and with dignity.”
(June 28, 2008) |
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“When I called and asked for your help, under great stress, you directly assisted me and I cannot find the words to thank you. I came to Greece from Georgia six years ago and today, for the first time, I feel real warmth and humanity.”
(March 17, 2008) |
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“Prior to my interaction with you, anywhere I had turned to I had been faced with indifference and hostility due to my nationality and the fact that I was poor. You reminded me of the humanity and love people are capable of. In you I found real moral and material support and, for as long as I live, I will tell everybody that you belong to a rare category that I had long-forgotten existed: that of human beings with heart and soul.”
(July 9, 2010) |
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“About five months ago, as I was conducting a self breast exam, I found a very small lump. Unfortunately, I did not pay attention to it and did not get it check out immediately […]. The cost of the procedure was quite high […]. The problem is that my husband and I haven’t been working for the past five years and we have no income. Through this great disappointment and for my great fortune an acquaintance mentioned the BCA Fund. We immediately called and the treatment by the Fund’s people was immediate and compassionate. After this phone communication we arranged a meeting with the doctor. However, this first meeting happened in my absence. Unfortunately, I did not have the strength and will to meet with him, since the previous days I was disappointed by the treatment I had received from the doctor at the hospital where I was being treated. I believed that this doctor would also treat me with indifference. When my husband and daughter came home and I saw how excited they were by the meeting I decided to go the next day. From the day I had my mammogram, it was the first time someone explained exactly what I may be suffering from and all the possible developments of the illness. The honesty that doctor showed me, as well as the understanding of the ailment (due to ignorance) and the psychological support he gave me in those few moments were like a resurrection to me. This is the first time I meet a person who is first a human being and then a doctor. I would like to thank, with all my being, all the members of the Fund for the compassion and immediate response they gave for the treatment of my problem. I am honestly so happy for the existence of the Fund, which not only saves lives but people’s souls, without asking for anything in return. I thank you all for the psychological, medical and therapeutical support, as well as the financial assistance you gave me. I wish the Fund may continue its work and save more lives.”
(December 8, 2010) |
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”Ι am writing with my recently operated on right hand, in order to thank you and express my gratitude for the immeasurable moral and material assistance of the BCA Fund, which paid for all my treatment expenses.
(May 15, 2010) |
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“I was unlucky to be stricken with breast cancer but lucky enough to receive your unrestrained moral and material assistance during my health problems. I would like to express to you my deepest gratitude for covering the entire cost of my treatment as my financial resources are very limited. I had heard people discussing the difficulties they experienced after such a hard surgery, but I did not experience any pain at all and am living now as if I had never been operated on.”
(September 28, 2007) |
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“I am a 27 year-old mother of two. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking care of all the costs required for the initial diagnosis and then for the surgical treatment. Our income is very low, especially during this period of economic difficulties that we are all facing. I had to have surgery on both my breasts and even though it was a difficult surgery, I did not feel any pain. I received excellent care and everyone treated me like a first class citizen. I am grateful for all you have done for me, especially your immediate response, the warmth that you showed me and the dignity you made me feel. Thank you, sincerely, from the bottom of my heart.
(November 29, 2010) |
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“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the immeasurable moral and material assistance you offered me from the very moment I asked for your help. Your contributions during this period of my life to help me face my health problem with my breast were invaluable as I am an unemployed mother of an under-aged child without social insurance and with limited financial resources. I thank you for your support that helped me to painlessly overcome this unpleasant experience.”
(June 30, 2008) |
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“I am a 63 year-old who happened to come up against breast cancer. Thanks to you I had a very good treatment, which aside from everything else, greatly helped my psychology. Understandably, for my husband, a pensioner of the IKA, it was impossible to pay for such a high level of care.”
(February 1, 2009) |
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“Everything happened so quickly for me and the fact that my cancer had been a product of neglect hurt more than the fact that I had cancer, for I had attended all my programmed screening tests that had been prescribed by my doctors.”
(March 19, 2010) |
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“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your assistance in the most difficult time of my life, for giving me hope and dignity.”
(May 15, 2010) |
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“I wish to express my true feelings and my warmest thanks for the direct response of the BCA Fund to my request for screening and further information on my health problem with my breast. I am a nurse…”
(December 11, 2008) |
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“I feel the need to thank you for all you did for me and for all women in the same situation as me. I do not know how I could express on a piece of paper all that I feel. Your work and contribution fill my soul with hope and gives me the strength to fight.”
(November 20, 2009) |
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“I feel the need to express to you my deepest gratitude for your generous and priceless financial assistance so as to cover the expenses of my treatment. Our monthly income is enough to cover only the basic needs of our family. How could the announcement that the Breast Cancer Action Fund would be covering all my expenses not sound like a sweet melody to my ears? I learned of the BCA Fund a few days earlier, when I was researching information on breast cancer on the internet and was informed of its invaluable initiatives. I had the best doctor for my medical condition by my side and all of my treatment’s expenses were covered by you. How could I not face surgery with courage? God had helped me so much and offered everything generously. In the end, with my doctor by my side, the surgical operation was like a walk in the park. I felt no pain and today, one week later, at home, I feel strong enough, not only to continue my therapy but to support, in any way I can, women with breast cancer and if possible, to eradicate the disease.”
(March 18, 2010) |
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“Thanks to the BCA Fund I can see life smiling at me again. I am 56 years old, I am divorced, I have one daughter and I work as a cleaning lady. I had to have an operation on my right breast (4 cm tumour). After having heard and read about the BCA Fund and having no financial resources, desperation led me to reach out to you. The Fund responded immediately and placed me under the care of doctor… His scientific expertise and his behaviour were very different and humane; they stood out from other doctors’ behaviour I had come across during two previous serious unrelated surgeries. I felt no pain during and after my operation and from the moment I entered the hospital until the moment I left, I felt as if I were being treated in a large English or American hospital. Because of the BCA Fund, I was treated with dignity and respect, making me feel like a first class citizen. One feels very weak and lonely when she does not have the financial ability to choose the best for herself. You made me feel the exact opposite. Finally, I’d like to thank the BCA Fund from the bottom of my heart; you were an angel, who at the most difficult time in my life gave me.
(July 28, 2010) |