Islanders helping islanders…..

One of the cool things here on the island is that if you have cancer, there have been two ways to get ferry tickets so you can get to treatment on the mainland: The Susan G. Komen Foundation (for folks with breast cancer) and the Soroptimists’ program (for everyone else). Both have provided hundreds of trips over the years.

Now comes news that the Komen folks have had to scale back, so they are no longer providing that service as of the end of last month. The Soroptimist Club hopes to pick up the slack – here’s more from Vicky Thalacker:

Can you imagine a man, woman or child finding out that he or she has cancer and that they have to go to the mainland for chemotherapy or radiation?  Their treatment is for eight weeks, every day, for 40 days.  And then they find out it will cost them up to $1,500.00 to travel by ferry, plus countless hours of waiting and worrying.

That is why the Soroptimist club of Friday Harbor decided to help the community.  A fund was set up almost 8 years ago to help provide transportation for treatment appointments for cancer patients.  In the past two and 1/4 years they have helped 44 people, spending a total of $20,812 on ferry tickets.

Now, the Susan G. Komen Foundation has canceled their funds for San Juan County, leaving women who have breast cancer unable to receive ferry tickets to travel to their treatments. This means that the Soroptimist Club of Friday Harbor will have more people to support than ever before.

We need the help of our caring community.

Soroptimist is sponsoring a dinner on May 9th at 6:oo P.M. at Paradise Lanes to fund the Cancer Treatment Support Program.  You may purchase tickets at Spa d’Bune or the Toy Box for $25.00 or you may make a tax-deductible donation to Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor, P. O. Box 2856, Friday Harbor, WA 98250.

The Chair of this important event is Marie DiCristina.  She can be reached by calling 378-7595.  The Cancer Treatment Support Program Chair is Vicky Thalacker.  Her phone number is 378-4578.  Please leave a message.

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