COMMUNITY & CULTURE
NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT
Gateway to Hope has been a breast cancer lifeline to more than 1,000 patients since 2005 .
It was then that reconstructive breast surgeon Dr . David Caplin and surgical oncologist Dr . Marlys Schuh began to notice that they were seeing a number of new patients who were at later stages of breast cancer because they felt they couldn ’ t afford to see a doctor earlier .
Initially , the two worked to recruit a network of providers to perform care at no cost . Through the years , the organization they founded has shifted its focus to making sure patients have insurance .
“ Every month , it ’ s a question of ‘ Am I going to pay my insurance or my mortgage ?’ The fact that we ensure that you have insurance by helping you pay the premium - that takes away that burden ,” said Dawn Van Houten , Gateway to Hope ’ s executive director .
Van Houten , whose own mother is a breast cancer survivor , knows how devastating it is for a loved one to be diagnosed with a disease that affects one in eight women in the U . S .
“ I couldn ’ t imagine my mother trying to fight her disease by herself . And for someone to face that alone would be so scary ,” Van Houten said . “ When a woman is diagnosed , she ’ s immediately faced with a treatment plan . At the same time , she is worried about how long the treatment is going to take , if she can afford it and if she is going to be able to work .”
In 2016 alone , Gateway to Hope helped a record 311 breast cancer patients . In addition to the insurance program , a special fund called Thelma ’ s Gift assists recipients with everyday necessities like rent , transportation and even post-surgical compression garments . And sometimes , the assistance patients receive cannot be tallied .
“ A patient came in late one afternoon after a doctor ’ s appointment . She said the doctor was kind of hurried , and she didn ’ t understand everything the doctor said ,” Van Houten recalled . “ As she sat in our lobby , one of our nurses visited with her . Our nurses understand the disease , the diagnosis and treatment . So it ’ s more than just writing those checks . You ’ ve got somebody on your side who is going to listen .”
Kim , a former Gateway to Hope patient
MISSION To secure comprehensive care and provide financial assistance for individuals in need who are diagnosed with or at high risk for developing breast cancer .
HOW YOU CAN HELP Gateway to Hope ’ s signature fundraiser , KaleidoHope , will be on Saturday , Oct . 7 , at The Chase Park Plaza . Susie Knopf and Phyllis Langsdorf are serving as this year ’ s co-chairs . For more information , call ( 314 ) 569-1113 or visit kaleidohopestl . org .
Photo courtesy of Gateway to Hope
82 GAZELLE STL