Supporting Nichole Luca
Donation protected
Like many of us, Nichole has had an incredibly hard year. Unlike a lot of us, Nichole has had a lifetime of experiences that has led her to believe that she’s in this alone. After decades of overcoming personal hardships with a silent smile, we could make this the year she remembers as the time when her community showed up for her.
Nichole rang in 2020 by unexpectedly taking custody of her elementary-aged nieces and nephew. Difficult as it was and though she thought her young child-raising days were behind her, she happily rearranged her life, her house, and her plans to welcome them into a stable and loving home already filled with a family that Nichole has single handedly tended for the past 27 years. Then came a global pandemic, remote learning, a scary emergency appendectomy, a most unfortunate lapse in insurance coverage, and, most recently, a cancer diagnosis.
Currently, Nichole is undergoing chemo to treat an extremely rare form of cancer that started in her appendix, but has spread to her large intestine. Fortunately, her best friend is able to provide the care and remote school coordination for her nieces and nephews while Nichole is in and out of the hospital. Her prognosis looks great and her attitude is inspirational. However, in the short time that she has been battling this diagnosis thus far, she has accumulated over $50,000 of medical bills. And, while we all know that expensive medical bills are inherent to the American medical system that requires foundational change, we have a chance to provide direct support to a single mother looking to bounce back from a devastating year filled with uncertainty and bad news, to give her the space to start envisioning a future outside of the struggle.
Perhaps the greatest irony of her situation, Nichole manages the reception staff of a non-profit health center here in Boston. Every day, Nichole ensures that her patients receive the care that they need with as much support in navigating the always-complicated relationship between healthcare and health insurance as possible. She knows that despite how frustrating it may be, when you have a compassionate advocate on your side to help grapple with the bureaucracy, you can focus on the one thing that you need to: getting better.
Nichole has had hundreds of rugs swept from underneath her, everything from molehills to mountains to overcome. As her co-workers and friends, we know that she doesn't need assistance during this time. We want her to know that she deserves a helping hand.
Nichole rang in 2020 by unexpectedly taking custody of her elementary-aged nieces and nephew. Difficult as it was and though she thought her young child-raising days were behind her, she happily rearranged her life, her house, and her plans to welcome them into a stable and loving home already filled with a family that Nichole has single handedly tended for the past 27 years. Then came a global pandemic, remote learning, a scary emergency appendectomy, a most unfortunate lapse in insurance coverage, and, most recently, a cancer diagnosis.
Currently, Nichole is undergoing chemo to treat an extremely rare form of cancer that started in her appendix, but has spread to her large intestine. Fortunately, her best friend is able to provide the care and remote school coordination for her nieces and nephews while Nichole is in and out of the hospital. Her prognosis looks great and her attitude is inspirational. However, in the short time that she has been battling this diagnosis thus far, she has accumulated over $50,000 of medical bills. And, while we all know that expensive medical bills are inherent to the American medical system that requires foundational change, we have a chance to provide direct support to a single mother looking to bounce back from a devastating year filled with uncertainty and bad news, to give her the space to start envisioning a future outside of the struggle.
Perhaps the greatest irony of her situation, Nichole manages the reception staff of a non-profit health center here in Boston. Every day, Nichole ensures that her patients receive the care that they need with as much support in navigating the always-complicated relationship between healthcare and health insurance as possible. She knows that despite how frustrating it may be, when you have a compassionate advocate on your side to help grapple with the bureaucracy, you can focus on the one thing that you need to: getting better.
Nichole has had hundreds of rugs swept from underneath her, everything from molehills to mountains to overcome. As her co-workers and friends, we know that she doesn't need assistance during this time. We want her to know that she deserves a helping hand.
Organizer and beneficiary
Danielle Gelfand
Organizer
Boston, MA
Nichole Luca
Beneficiary