Stater Bros. Charities and Inland Women Fighting Cancer presented a check for $100,000 to Loma Linda University Cancer Center on September 24. The funds were a portion of those raised at the 13th annual Believe Walk held in October 2020.
Last year’s Believe Walk united 1,000 people from near and far to participate in the event’s first-ever virtual walk, surpassing expectations by raising more funds than both the previous year and the Believe Walk’s 10th-anniversary event.
Judy Chatigny, RN, MSN, assistant vice president of LLU Cancer Center, has attended 11 Believe Walks and says, “From the very first year of the Believe Walk in 2008 and every year after, our community has demonstrated enthusiastic support for this event through participation and donations.”
Part of those donations enable the Stater Bros Charities and Inland Women Fighting Cancer Patient Resource Center to assist patients at LLU Cancer Center with issues related to their cancer diagnosis, Chatigny says.
As a safety net facility for San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, we provide care to a large percentage of patients that are economically challenged by their cancer diagnosis.Judy Chatigny
These services include: patient navigation services, valet parking, financial assistance programs, Stater Bros. grocery gift cards, transportation vouchers, wigs and beanies, skincare, support groups, as well as consultations with dieticians, social workers, a chaplain, pharmacists, or psychologists. Additionally, the Cancer Center also offers chair massages to patients in the infusion area to help with relaxation and to decrease pain.
Cancer patients face extraordinary out-of-pocket costs related to their cancer care, says Chatigny, so providing these services at no cost enables all to have equal access to the Cancer Center’s support services.
“As a safety net facility for San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, we provide care to a large percentage of patients that are economically challenged by their cancer diagnosis,” she says.
Stater Bros. Charities director Danielle Oehlman says the enduring partnership enables ongoing efforts to ensure no one faces cancer alone. “Anyone who has been affected by cancer understands how overwhelming it can be,” she says. “We appreciate the approach Loma Linda University Cancer Center has taken to care for the physical, emotional, and mental health of cancer patients in our community."
The Believe Walk was created through the partnership of Inland Women Fighting Cancer founding members Cathy Stockton, Annie Sellas, and the late Nancy Varner, along with Stater Bros. Charities.
To date, the partnership between Stater Bros. Charities and Inland Women Fighting Cancer has donated over $6.1 million to support programs, services, and equipment to advance cancer care in the Inland Empire.
The 14th annual Believe Walk will take place virtually, once again, on October 3. You can support cancer patients and survivors by signing up here to participate and donate to the cause.
