Pam’s Pals Step Up to the Plate for Breast Cancer Patients

When Pam Ader was undergoing treatment for breast cancer in 2004, she couldn’t help but notice the trials that her fellow patients had to endure on a daily basis. “Chemo isn’t easy for anyone, but some patients have it much harder than others,” she said. “I was fortunate in that I had a great support group, but I could see how difficult it was for other people. We may all get the same treatment, but we’re really not equal.”

Unbeknownst to Pam, her family was already putting the wheels in motion to do something about those inequities. No one was more surprised than she was when, at a luncheon to celebrate the conclusion of her treatment, dozens of her friends showed up in pink baseball caps with “Pam’s Pals” emblazoned on them. That marked the start of a fund-raising effort to help breast cancer victims that has continued to this day.

Pam and her colleagues pursue their fundraising efforts on a personal basis, and only solicit people they actually know. That focus has paid off over the years, as Pam’s Pals have raised meaningful amounts that they’ve donated to help people who are going through breast cancer treatments.

“It’s one thing to raise money, but it’s another to earmark and administer it,” Pam said. “We wanted to team up with an organization that could take care of all those things for us. We’d had some other health issues that had been dealt with at HUMC, so we spoke to the HUMC Foundation about Pam’s Pals. It was obvious right away that they possessed a level of professionalism and dedication that was beyond that of other organizations. That decided it for us.”

At the urging of the Foundation, during this past year Pam’s Pals earmarked their funds to be distributed to breast cancer patients who are in need of assistance in paying for their oral medications. “Out-of-pocket costs for oral breast medications can run over $500 per month,” said Stanley Waintraub, M.D., Co-Chief of the division of Breast Oncology." “That’s a steep price for those with modest financial means and prevents many patients from purchasing the medication necessary for their survival.”

One person who has already benefited from the program is Catherine Riggi, a medical lab technologist at HUMC who began her own treatments for breast cancer in 2008. “I’m struggling as it is,” she said. “I don’t know where I would have found the money to pay for my medication. But thanks to Pam’s Pals, that’s one less thing I have to worry about. I’m extremely grateful.”

Pam Ader feels the same as she continues to lead a healthy life. “The staff at HUMC has made everything easy for us; they know how to do their job. At the end of the day, it’s all about helping to save lives.”