Daughter raises $10,400 in appreciation for care given her mother at Kent

Posted 9/20/16

Inspired by her mother's recent battle with breast cancer, a Cranston resident has raised $10,400 to support the financial needs of other local women in treatment. Cait Amirault recently donated the funds to The Breast Health Center at Kent Hospital's

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Daughter raises $10,400 in appreciation for care given her mother at Kent

Posted

Inspired by her mother's recent battle with breast cancer, a Cranston resident has raised $10,400 to support the financial needs of other local women in treatment. Cait Amirault recently donated the funds to The Breast Health Center at Kent Hospital's Women-In-Need (WIN) Program. WIN supports cancer patients with financial hardships by helping them pay for personal expenses.

Cait's mother, Patricia Amirault, was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer in the summer of 2015, two days after her 60th birthday.

"My family was devastated," said Cait.

Cait stayed by her mother's side as she received chemotherapy and radiation treatments over eight months. Although the Amiraults could afford treatment and other services, Cait often thought about the financial impact of cancer treatment on other women and their families. After learning about WIN, Cait literally hit the ground running; she decided to run a marathon and crowdsource to raise money for the program.

Cait's initiative is outlined on her GoFundMe site: "The wonderful people at the Breast Health Center have taken great care of my mom over the past eight months and our family and I can't thank them enough. It's not easy watching someone you love suffer but it's comforting knowing that they're well cared for. Although I can give my mom an okay foot rub and toast a mean bagel, I thought that the best way to show my support would be to spend the next few months raising money for the WIN Fund. On May 1, I'll cap off my fundraising efforts by running the Providence Marathon in whatever pink outfit my mom deems appropriate."

Cait recruited a team of runners who joined her mission to support her mother and the WIN program. With an initial goal of raising $5,000, Cait had a modest minimum ask of $26.20, a dollar for every mile she would run. Donations came in not only from runners, but from people near and far who wanted to support the cause.

On May 1 Cait completed the full 26.2 miles, joined by a crowd of family and friends there to support her. In the end, she more than doubled her fundraising goal.

"On behalf of The Breast Health Center at Kent and the WIN Program, we are extremely grateful for this very generous donation to help women who face financial difficulties during a time that is already stressful," said Candace Dyer, MD, physician director of The Breast Health Center at Kent. "I commend Cait for her perseverance in raising the funds, but also running many miles to help not only support her mother but many other women in need. Most of all, everyone at The Breast Health Center is heartened to see Patricia doing so well."

"I was overwhelmed by the support and love of so many people, especially my daughter who chose to run a marathon, which is a huge undertaking," said Patricia. "She was very determined, she trained, and I was overwhelmed by the work that she did, the effort that she put into it, not just physically training but her fundraising page... making phone calls, sending emails. I was overcome by the amount of people who donated and how generous they were."

Patricia received her last treatment in April 2016 and currently has no evidence of disease.

"I have a greater appreciation for life. I've learned I'm a lot stronger than I ever thought I could be. I have been the recipient of so much love, compassion and kindness from my family, friends and the many people I have met during this journey," said Patricia.

The Women-In-Need Program at Kent Hospital was established in 2014 to help women that have been diagnosed with cancer. Many times, women face financial difficulties while undergoing treatment and cannot meet their responsibilities. At times, financial assistance may be needed to help with daily living costs such as food, medication, medical equipment, rent, utilities etc. The WIN program is completely funded through donations. One hundred percent of proceeds go back to women in need. For more information about the program or how you can donate to this worthy cause, please contact Kim McDonough, RN, BSN, nurse manager, at 401-736-3737.

IN SUPPORT OF BREAST HEALTH CENTER:

Cait Amirault recently raised $10,400 for the Breast Health Center at Kent Hospital. Pictured from left are Kim McDonough, RN, BSN, nurse manager; Cait Amirault and her mother Patricia; Dawn Sheehan, RN, BSN; and Jessica Collorone, patient access associate and Maggie Rego, CNA. (Submitted photo)

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  • Thecaptain

    Cait and Patricia, clearly 2 women with incredible courage and integrity.

    Tuesday, September 20, 2016 Report this