Providing Cancer Patients with Love they Need and Deserve

Steve Adubato goes One-on-One with Danielle Corso, Executive Director, David’s Dream and Believe Cancer Foundation, to talk about how the organization provides funding and emotional support to individuals battling cancer.

6/25/18 #2148

Excerpt:

"We are pleased to welcome Danielle Corso, Executive Director of an organization called David's Dream and Believe Cancer Foundation. Welcome. Thank you. I'm happy to be here. Describe the organization. So David's Dream and Believe Cancer Foundation is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit that raises funds to provide financial assistance, wellness services, and hope to families in New Jersey battling a cancer diagnosis. Where's the name come from? It comes from our co-founder David Caldarella who battled stage four head and neck cancer himself, in 2010. Through his battle he wanted to be able to give back and leave a legacy for his family, and to also provide a way for people to have the same... the same care and... just, Hmm... care that he did while he was undergoing his own battle. Your connection to all this? It's really serendipitous, actually. I was doing my training for the the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties. It's a child focused nonprofit. And hurricane sandy ripped through the Northeast, and after that happened I realized that there was a lot to be done at home. So, I called a friend who runs a surf company called Jetty, who was... who had launched their own Unite, Rebuild, Hurricane Relief campaign. I said "how can I help?" And when I walked in the door, I met David. And from that point forward, after hearing of his own battle and experiencing first hand his dedication to the mission, I was hooked, and never looked back. David was on Life & Living where Joanna Gagis... right? He was, yeah. Let me ask you, I'm curious about something. You help families, you help people dealing with cancer on a lot of levels, don't you? We do. yes, cancer is a disease of the body, of course, but I think what people forget is that it affects the emotional, spiritual... emotional well-being of a person. we have an opportunity to effect positive change through not just giving a grant because that is... It's helpful, It reduces stress but we also are connected to them in a much deeper way. For example? I think the best way to do that is to offer a story. It was 2016 and David received a phone call from a man who was minutes away from not taking his chemo medicine anymore, because he couldn't put food on the table for his children. So, within an hour, David had met him at the local Shoprite and paid out right for six months of chemo. So, I think there-there... It shows a fundamental dichotomy between how somebody needs to not only take care of themselves, but also take care of their family. Yeah. And we are able to... kind of..."