Being a teenager is hard enough.
Of all the people living with cancer, teens receive the least amount of support. These young people are working through the hardest years of their lives while simultaneously reckoning with their own mortality and planning for an uncertain future.
Where many organizations focus on improving the immediate lives of those living with cancer, our purpose is to help them and their families well into the future by supporting their pursuit of a college education.
FINANCIAL AID
Education is key to long-term success, yet out of reach for many financially devastated young cancer patients. TRCF provides 4 years of support to scholars in the form of college scholarships. We target teen cancer survivors from low-income families that have been disproportionately affected by their cancer diagnosis.
EDUCATION
The toxicity of cancer treatment has long-lasting effects, such as cognitive delay, short-term memory loss, vision loss, and severe heart problems. Every TRCF scholar has access to subject-specific online tutoring, survivor support groups, and career readiness workshops. Each of these support programs helps to combat the long-term effects of this devastating disease! TRCF is not only writing the scholarship check but is also meeting each scholar where they are with vital educational wrap-around services.
ADVOCACY
Cancer advocates speak up for those who can’t. Advocacy helps the cancer community navigate this often difficult landscape, and play a crucial role in creating a better future for all cancer patients. The Ruth Cheatham Foundation works to educate the community on the lack of support for adolescent cancer patients and survivors.
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”