HELPING LOCAL FAMILIES AFFECTED BY BREAST CANCER

A breast cancer diagnosis is a devastating blow to any family. Unfortunately, the financial impact of cancer treatment puts an additional burden on families already struggling with trying to cope. At Hot Pink Deicer, we are proud to support families in our community whose lives have been turned upside down because of breast cancer. Here are a few of their stories.

❤ 2011

Our 1st was just a few days before Christmas of 2011. We were humbled to present a check to a young woman from Taylor, MI. She and her husband are the parents of 2 young boys and because of her cancer treatments they were down to one income. The family was just barely making their bills and with the holiday’s fast approaching they were even more stressed out that they wouldn’t be able to provide gifts for their children. You can imagine how much a financial gift meant to them during that time.

❤ 2012

In early December 2012 through the support of our customers and supply partners we were able to present another, even larger check…

Carla is a single mother of 3 from Southfield, MI. Due to her cancer treatments, Carla was unable to continue working. Like many families she was living paycheck to paycheck and as a result of her lack of income she lost her home. Carla and her children were now living with her parents and while she was grateful to have a roof over their heads and the support of her family, she was still struggling to provide for the needs of her children. Receiving the check eased some of the pressure and allowed her to concentrate on her health and children’s emotional well-being.

❤ 2013

As knowledge about our product and mission began to grow so did our sales and thus in 2013 HOT PINK DEICER was able to provide gifts to 2 more families as well as offer some additional help to our 2012 recipient.

The 1st was a family from Redford. This young mother was diagnosed in the 3rd trimester of her 4th pregnancy. She had been a co-financial provider for their family and was no longer able to work. Her husband’s income alone as teacher in a private parochial school was not sufficient to pay for the very modest needs of this family of 6…. not to mention with their increased expenses incurred by the insurance co-pays and the special needs of their newborn baby. Filled with faith, this family never wavered in their belief that their needs would be met and when they were presented with the gift their response was of gratitude to God for prayers answered! AMEN.

The 2nd was a single mother from Detroit who was diagnosed while on medical leave from her position as a juvenile correctional officer who had suffered a stroke on the job. Her benefits were running out and she was receiving some financial help from her adult son who is serving in our US Military but still struggling to keep a roof over the heads of a high school son and daughter who was a freshman in college (on academic scholarship).

To be able to help this hard working family with a history of service to our community and country was a huge honor.

❤ 2014

The winter of 2013/2014 was one for the books! The continued exposure of our product and mission combined with Mother Nature’s contributions of snow and ice, HOT PINK DEICER sales were again record breaking and we were able to provide even larger gifts to three more families in December 2014.

Sabrina and Zach of Roseville are parents to three great kids and, like so many other families, were working hard to make ends meet. Sabrina survived breast cancer and a double mastectomy. A few months ago, just when she was going into remission, she was diagnosed with brain and lung cancer and had to undergo emergency brain surgery! Sabrina is an only child and having lost her own mother at 18, this young couple have very little family support. Zach has taken an unpaid leave from his job to care for his wife and children. They were literally facing the prospect of being homeless when we were made aware of their situation. To be able to present them with their gift at such a time was incredibly humbling.

Robin and Michael of Oak Park are parents to two beautiful teenage daughters. Robin has survived stage III breast cancer and a double mastectomy and was ready to return to work when complications from her treatments began to cause severe kidney problems. She is now receiving dialysis several times per week and it is clear that returning to work is impossible. To make matters worse, Michael has recently sustained a serious injury and is currently on disability (half salary) while undergoing physical therapy. The single bathroom in this family’s small home is in need of extensive repair and is virtually unusable, but they just couldn’t afford to make the necessary repairs. Their oldest daughter tries to help with babysitting money, but this close-knit and loving family was really struggling and had nowhere to turn for help. It was a joy to be able to present them with their gift at a time when they needed it most!

Miss Fay of Livonia is a 72-year-old woman living all alone with no family near to help her. Her battle with breast cancer has been long but victorious! Unfortunately, she barely manages to make ends meet from her very meager fixed income of less than $1,000 per month. Fay recently found out her Medicare/Medicaid program has been discontinued because of the ACA, so her expenses have just gone up. Additionally, the roof of her home leaks badly and she was unable to afford to get it repaired, so she just closed off that part of the house…the bedroom! At this stage in her life, she is certainly not in a position to go out and earn the extra income she needs to make ends meet. Miss Fay’s reaction upon receiving her gift was of disbelief at the generosity of strangers and was absolutely priceless!

❤ 2015

As we continue to grow, we are able to help more families! This year was amazing as we were able to help 4 families

Janice of Detroit is a single mom who has spent her entire adult life giving back to the community. In addition to working and raising a kind, intelligent, focused daughter, (she’s a junior at MSU-GO GREEN!), she has also been the foster parent to many other at-risk children, giving them love and leadership in their time of need. When her side effects from her cancer treatments made it impossible for her to continue working, she was in real danger of losing her home and car. Janice is using her gift to get caught up, have a nice Christmas and hold her until her benefits kick in next month.

Nigelee of Waterford is a 33-year-old single mom of a delightful and energetic five-year-old daughter. The two are a joy to know! The car she drives was dangerous and in need of extensive repairs. This vehicle is the only source to get her daughter to school and herself to treatment. Every time she drove it, she prayed that it wouldn’t breakdown and strand the two of them. Our team in the shop was able to see to the repairs as well as present her with a check that helped them have a nice Christmas and catch up on some bills.

Sarah* of South Lyon is 40 years old and newly diagnosed with stage IV metastatic breast cancer. She has twin boys who are 11 and one has special needs – is nonverbal and has a caregiver. Her husband just lost his job in November. Her parents have just arrived from out of the country to help them, but they were overwhelmed. Sarah has a private policy for health insurance with very high deductibles, but the insurance is essential to provide for the special needs of her son as well as her own medical treatment. She was just hospitalized for side effects of her chemotherapy and their medical bills are astronomical! The family will use the gift to help tide them over until her husband can find new work. (*name changed)

Elizabeth of Milford was diagnosed with stage I breast cancer earlier this year. She is married with three children, one in college and two in high school. They have had many financial stressors prior to the cancer diagnosis since her husband’s company failed in 2008, they lost their savings and home. They are both working now, she works two part-time positions all while undergoing chemotherapy. She has had a lot of medical deductibles and has missed a lot of work unpaid while being treated. They used part of their gift to provide a nice Christmas for their family and will use the remainder to catch up on bills.

❤ 2016

Even though our sales were down this past year due to Mother Nature not fully cooperating last season, we were still honored to be able to give financial gifts to 2 families this year.

Our 1st recipients were a young family with 2 kiddos from Detroit. Becky and Jason moved up to Detroit from Georgia in 2015 for work and to help Jason’s elderly mom. Blindsided, Becky was diagnosed in May of 16 with very aggressive breast cancer and has since undergone surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Things have not gone well for her with many complications and thus she has not been able to return to work. Down to one income, a very ill wife and mother and 2 small kids, Jason does his best to make ends meet but it is just too much to manage. Thankfully we were able to help ease some of their financial burdens and allow them to focus on getting Becky through her treatments and the kids having a stable routine.

Our 2nd recipient was Dawn is a single mom of a teen aged son and was a busy realtor until she was diagnosed with breast cancer in February. In the blink of an eye here whole world changed, as she was not able to work in full capacity while experiencing horrible side effects from chemo and other therapies. Her faith, spirit and positive attitude have gotten her through some pretty dark times in the course of her treatments this year and that has served her well. Her prognosis is good…. although her luck recently has not been so good. Her car was recently totaled due to a truck carrying goods in front of her losing its load and totaling her car! Thankfully neither she or her sons were severely hurt but with them just barely making it financially a new car just isn’t in the budget. Dawn will use her gift to put towards a safe reliable vehicle and we couldn’t be prouder to be able to help this delightful lady get back on her feet.

❤ 2017

The 1st recipient was a single mother from Dearborn who was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in early 2017. This sweet lady not only takes care of her 3 daughters, (one of whom is in college on academic scholarship), she also cares for her ailing mother all while dealing with severe side effects from chemotherapy! Earlier this fall her car was stolen and the other vehicle the family shares is in need of expensive repairs. Just trying to get to all of her and her mother’s doctor appointments was a daily struggle. Thankfully the gift she received will allow her the relief of knowing they will have safe transportation while they continue on the long road ahead of treatments and future surgeries.

The 2nd Recipient was Torri from Detroit is an absolute saint of a lady! She a divorced mother of 4 children and the adoptive mother of her sisters 4 children whom she took into her home after her sister’s death. After her diagnosis in early 2017, she hasn’t been able to work much due to severe side effects from her chemotherapy treatments. The lack of a steady income has put this tight knit troop into serious financial difficulty!

Receiving our gift helped to relieve some of her immediate worries and allow them to enjoy the holidays and focus on her health and the children’s emotional well-being.

This dynamic single mom of a teenaged boy from Keego Harbor had been used to taking care of business and doing whatever it took to make ends meet and provide for their needs. Working two jobs along with juggling community service and their busy lives was second nature to her…. until she was diagnosed with breast cancer in mid 2017. Suddenly, in the matter of a few months their lives were changed dramatically. Unable to continue working full time due to side effects of her surgeries and treatments, this dear lady was not only really sick, she was facing huge financial difficulties. She had already made significant lifestyle changes in order to reduce their living expenses and still it wasn’t enough. With the holidays fast approaching she was even more stressed out worrying that she wouldn’t be able to provide even a small Christmas for her son.

Being able to help this hard working lady when she needed it most was an honor.

❤ 2018

Our first recipient is a 29-year-old woman with a 6-year-old daughter. She is a single mother supporting her daughter by herself. She was diagnosed with stage 4-breast cancer in May of 2018 and things have progressed quickly. She has a degree from MSU- (GO GREEN!) and was working several jobs before her diagnosis. Due to her cancer treatments, she is "only" able to manage one job now. She is very close to her mother, who has been helping her financially, but mom works for GM and just found out she will no longer be employed as of the end of this year. They are very worried about finances and the stress of it all is very difficult on the family. We were honored to meet and provide a little help to this awesome mother/ daughter team with amazingly spunky personalities in the face of all they’re going through.

Our second recipient was initially diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014 and came through her treatment well and was cancer free… for a while. Unfortunately she was just re-diagnosed with recurrent Stage 4 breast cancer in June. She is 44 and is the single mom of a 14 year old and 26-year-old daughters. Her older daughter is married and lives nearby fortunately and is a tremendous help. Sadly, her own mother passed away this fall. They were very close and the loss has been devastating.

She is unable to work due to the side effects of her treatments, thus they survive on Social Security Disability income of less than $1000/month. She has always worked in home healthcare, providing loving care to others when they needed it most and now she needed our help. We were honored to do so.

Our third recipient was 34 year old single woman. She was diagnosed with breast cancer this fall. Her mother died of breast cancer in 2010 and her dad died from lung cancer this past summer so she has virtually no family support. She is social worker by trade and has spent her career helping the elderly but currently she is unable to work because of her treatments.

Helping this sweet lady who has spent her career taking care of others was an honor.

Our fourth recipient is a 53 year old single mom of a busy and energetic 16 year old son. She has metastatic breast cancer. She was working as a dental hygienist but had to stop when the cancer spread to her bones. The 2 of them live on Social Security Disability and a small amount of child support, but finances are very tight. It was our honor to help them with a financial gift to brighten their holidays.

Our fifth recipient has metastatic breast cancer. She is in her late 50’s and has been a hard worker all her life having started her first job at just 13 yrs. old. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer and began treatments, she had to leave her job as a cashier. It’s the first time she hasn’t been able to take care of herself and others around her. Her adult son & daughter have moved in to help with her care and bills but they don’t own a car, which means she needs to take a bus to get to treatments. The gift we gave her will goes towards a reliable vehicle for the family.

Recipient number 6 is a 34 year old single woman was working as a hospice registered nurse when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had to stop working due to the severity of the side effects from the treatments and surgeries. She is coming back strong now, but is in the midst of a career change and her savings have been whipped out. Her family is able to provide emotional support but not much financial support. It was our pleasure to help her get back on her feet after such a difficult time.

Recipient number 7 is a 62 year old single lady with breast cancer. She has worked as a caregiver for elderly and disabled all her life and while that has been emotionally rewarding, it has taken a toll physically. Since undergoing treatments and surgery she hasn’t been able to go back to work because its just too physically demanding. She is unemployed but still trying to help her daughter and grandchildren. Their home has mold issues and with no resources, they had not been able to get them resolved. With their gift they will be able to make the necessary repairs.

Our 8th recipient is 28 year old single woman originally from MI. living in CO. when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She has since moved back to MI. to be close to family while undergoing her treatments. She will undergo chemotherapy for approximately 6 months then have double mastectomy surgery. This young lady is engaged to be married and is simultaneously working with fertility specialist to minimized risks of being unable to conceive after treatments. She is able to work some and has health insurance to cover most of her cancer treatments, although it will not cover all of the fertility and reconstructive treatments. It is our honor to help relieve some financial pressure for this vibrant young woman.

Additionally, we were able to give a gift to the Team Karen Foundation , www.teamkaren.org on behalf of Everest Snow Management of Hickory Hills, Illinois.

We greatly appreciate the support of Everest Snow Management purchasing several truckloads of our Hot Pink Deicer and wanted to allow them to choose a person or organization in their community with the proceeds generated from their purchases.

At the time of this writing, the Everest team worked with Team Karen and presented gifts to 6 women and made their holidays just a little bit brighter.

If you know of a company or organization that uses deicing products, please ask them to consider purchasing Hot Pink Deicer.

As you can tell from the stories above, these women were all living their lives, taking care of their children and giving back to their communities when everything changed because of cancer. The money we raise through our sales helps so many families going through the most difficult time in their lives. It is our goal to add more families every year and with your support we will.

If you use a deicer anyway, why not use the one that gives back to families?

Thank you for your continued support!

Gratefully,

The Hot Pink Deicer Team

Troy, Linda, Zach, Christian & Jamie