I recently had the honor of meeting the founder of My Hope Chest which is located in Seminole, FL. Alisa Savoretti, former Las Vegas showgirl, founded My Hope Chest to provide funding for breast cancer survivors who are uninsured, underinsured, or have somehow fallen through the cracks of a system that’s supposed to provide reconstruction if a woman has had a mastectomy.
Alisa was faced with this very dilemma herself in the Fall of 2003 when she had no insurance, had to have a mastectomy, and then was unable to take, as she says:
the final step in breast cancer treatment – restoring body, mind and spirit.
As someone who herself had a mastectomy and then, surprisingly, felt unwhole and ugly without one of my breasts, I underwent three surgeries and several procedures to reconstruct my left breast. I was still left with $4,000.00 that my husband and I have to pay to the hospital out-of-pocket. I appreciate what Alisa and her board do.
Alisa told me that everyone who works with My Hope Chest is a volunteer and the funds go to providing surgeries for women in need. She also told me that this calendar year, they were able to provide surgeries for six women. Remarkable for a small, grassroots organization!
Bravo, Alisa! While I know that reconstruction isn’t for everyone, I believe that women who want their breast(s) reconstucted should have that opportunity.
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Cross-posted to Just Enjoy Him.
Mothers With Cancer 
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I find this so disconcerting that yet again women have to deal with Breast Cancer, Worry about the expense of surgery. If you want reconstruction having to pay horrendous thousands of dollars. It frustrates me that here I am in Canada have whatever I need treatments scans and reconstruction and not pay one dollar out of pocket!! With another election in the US during 2012 I hope this situation wiil be rectified!! This is so unfair that women are going bankrupt of something that is not their fault!!
What a wonderful charity. I am glad to be made aware of it and will certainly help get the work out! My own website seeks to encourage those going through cancer and other life-changing events – all from a Christian perspective. My own breast cancer story is included.
I have volunteered with My Hope Chest for a while. What they do is so great. They are the ONLY nonProfit seeking to help NATIONALLY with this issue. It would be wonderful if they had a celebrity endorser to help get their message out. If you want to volunteer with My Hope Chest right from your own home town, please contact them on their website or through Facebook and learn about how you can host a fundraiser that could change a life forever.
http://www.facebook.com/myhopechest