CancerLINC Helps Family Save Home

Edgar Best didn't believe the doctors when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2015. However, a second opinion confirmed that he did indeed have cancer.

He began cancer treatment in Philadelphia, but as Best and his wife, Yvonne, were traveling back to their home in Petersburg, VA, he experienced difficulty breathing.  He was rushed to a hospital, and learned that in addition to cancer, he also had congestive heart failure, which ultimately led to a four-day stay at Southside Regional Medical Center.

After completing cancer treatment, he was in remission and later transferred his cancer treatment services to VCU Massey Cancer Clinic.  A year later, a checkup revealed his cancer had returned and he was referred to CancerLINC.  By this time, cancer was taking a physical and financial toll on Best and his family.  He worked as a commercial gas technician for the City of Richmond, but after his cancer returned he applied for retirement disability and had to wait a year for benefits to begin.   He was about to lose his home and car when he called CancerLINC, which connected Best with several helpful resources.  “CancerLINC gave me the information I needed," he said  "They told me to contact the Boleman Law Firm, and they helped me save my house and my car.”

The law firm helped Best file Chapter 13 Bankruptcy to save his home, which was going into foreclosure a month before he contacted CancerLINC.  “[The mortgage company] was going to sell my house on Dec. 19, and I called Boleman on Dec. 1," he added.

His car was repossessed the same week the law firm helped him file for bankruptcy.  Boleman Law contacted the automobile dealership, stopped the repossession and got his car back without any penalties. 

CancerLINC also gave Best information about the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and The Bone Marrow Foundation.   He was able to apply for grants from each organization that helped him pay his co-payments and medical bills. 

Best said he was more than pleased with the help he received from CancerLINC. "They are the best,” he added. “They were there for me.”

Put Your Required IRA Distribution
to Work For a Good Cause

Many folks who are 70 ½ and have an IRA, or who inherited an IRA from a loved one, are familiar with the annual required minimum distribution (RMD).  These distributions provide income for the IRA owner and may carry a tax burden too.  Recent changes to the tax laws allow IRA owners to make qualified charitable distributions (QCD) with all or a portion of these funds. The benefit is two-fold – help your favorite charity and avoid the tax implications for the donated funds. This is a terrific way for IRA owners to make their year-end charitable contributions while managing their taxable income.

 Learn more at: https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/personal-finance/retirement/qcds-the-basics.  Contact Chris Williams at CancerLINC (chris.williams@cancerlinc.org or (804) 562-0371) if you would like to make a charitable donation using your IRA distribution.  Your gift will allow us reach more local cancer patients to help them with their non-medical needs.  

VOLUNTEERS IN ACTION

UPCOMING EVENTS

November 1
CancerLINC Board Member Reception
Willow Oaks Country Club

November 14
Prosthetics & Specialized Garments Post Mastectomy

January 23
Estate Planning 101

March 21
Bags & Bourbon Benefit (formerly "It's in the Bag")
The Westin Richmond

May 18, 2019  (Rain Date: May 19)
Corporate Cornhole Challenge
Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center

OUR MISSION & VISION

Our mission is to ease the burden of cancer by providing assistance, education, and referral to legal resources, financial guidance, and community services.

Our vision is a community where no cancer patient goes without needed support services.