The Women’s Cancer Wellness Fund provides financial assistance to women with cancer in the Berkshire region of MA, NY, and CT to pay for complementary medicine and alternative care not covered by their health insurance.
The mission of the Fund is to improve the lives of women with cancer by enabling them to nurture their strength and wellness. We want them to have the support they need and the kind of care they choose. Eligible women in any stage of cancer who reside in the area served by Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation are invited to apply.
April 29th, 2012, Beverly and David Hosokawa and Gundula Brattke hosted a party for the Women’s Cancer Wellness Fund that raised $5,000 in donations. Guests were entertained by singers Lisa Kantor, Laurie Schiff and Pam Rich.
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Pictured above, the 2nd Annual Wellness Walk, October 16, 2011 raised $4000 for the Women’s Cancer Wellness Fund. Thanks to our these organizations who made it possible: Blue Q, Haven Bakery Cafe in Lenox, KDZ The Kripalu Drummers, Hooping Harmony, Tri Yoga Berkshires, Katherine Miller’s Kosmic Kitchen, and Awakening Healing Arts.
Pictured below, the first walk was October 24th, 2010, when the pastures presented “face forward: the jane iredale walk for the pastures fund” sponsored by jane iredale THE SKIN CARE MAKEUP®.
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In 2011, Iredale Mineral Cosmetics collaborated with the pastures to raise funds for women with cancer living in the Berkshire Taconic region. August 19th was IMC Employee Day at the pastures. To kick-off the launch of IMC’s 2011 Rise Above with Love campaign, IMC employees raised $9,000 for the Women’s Cancer Wellness Fund.
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Bridget Ford Hughes receives $9,000 donation to Women’s Cancer Wellness Fund from Jane Iredale
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and holistic care include a wide range of modalities from chiropractic and acupuncture to naturopathy, meditation and movement therapy, commonly not covered by health insurance.
Fund founder, Bridget Ford Hughes is a breast cancer survivor and has first hand experience with the benefits of CAM in caring for the whole person — mind, body, and spirit.
“I am here today because I learned the best way to manage the stress of cancer, to eat well, keep my body strong, and find the joy in my life,” said Hughes at a recent workshop on alternative medicine. “I want other women to have the options I had.”
Applicants to the fund request financial support for specific treatments from a specific provider. They must demonstrate a need for financial support and provide documentation. Payments are made by the fund directly to the provider. Both applicants and service providers must reside in the region shown on the map below. Click here to download an application.
Here is what the fund’s first recipient, Melissa Allemang from Housatonic, Massachusetts, had to say about her experience: “Being a woman with cancer is quite a challenge and the acupuncture help from the Fund is greatly enhancing my quality of life. We in the Berkshires are blessed to have people such as those at The Pastures Fund to help women cope with this illness in non-traditional ways. I am hugely thankful to all involved.”
