“Words alone could never express the gratitude I feel for the loving cards & words of encouragement that I continuously received throughout my ordeal (journey as some like to call it) with the treatments (surgery, chemo and radiation) for my breast cancer crisis in 2013. It was the longest 6 months of my life.

It was always good to know that someone I didn’t even know, was praying & giving me good thoughts for the day. Even better, I was told many times how much I was “loved” and that meant the world to me. I was not good emotionally, but managed a smile with the beautiful cards I received.

I am three years “Cancer-free” and totally grateful to each & every person who wrote & sent a card to encourage me during this difficult time.

Thank you… you all will be forever in my prayers and hope someday, I can repay someone else with the same encouragement you all showed me.

Thank you again.”

– Rachel Rodriguez, NY

Sending out over 11,ooo Cards of Hope each month to cancer patients like Rachel would not be possible without our volunteers. These cards truly do have an impact and Phil’s Friends thanks the many wonderful volunteers who contribute in creating them.

Interested in sharing how Phil’s Friends impacted a friend, family member or yourself? Share your own Story of Hope here.

Gary first heard about Phil’s Friends through a workshop he attended with his sister. At the workshop he was able to meet Phil and learn more about our organization. Gary is now hoping to bring encouragement to cancer patients and is looking forward to volunteer opportunities with Phil’s Friends! Below, Gary shares his experiences with 17 years of cancer. He hopes that at the least, he is able to impact one cancer patient through his article…

“For the past 17 years my family and I have been dealing with cancer. No one has heard us complain or feel sorry for ourselves because we have no reason to. We are strong, we are together and my wife and kids are doing great. I also believe that I have a great life and am winning my battle with cancer every day.

To me, winning is getting up every morning and the first thought I have is feeling blessed for all that I have. Next I think about what I want to accomplish today. What works for me is feeling the need to accomplish something every day, whether I am in the hospital or at home, whether I feel good or not so good. I need a specific goal (or goals) to focus on every day. Some days my goal might be a challenging one, and some days it might be simply telling my wife and kids that I love them. This allows me to feel some success every day when I accomplish my goal.

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Mary openly shares her personal journey with cancer as well as the diagnosis of her sister-in-law’s breast cancer. She was looking for resources that could be of any support to her sister-in-law, and it was then when she came across Phil’s Friends…

“First of all, I want to say my most sincere thank you! I am a “survivor” with a very rare form of cancer. It is (in layman’s terms)cancer of the appendix. Most people ask “Well, can’t they just remove the appendix?” This cancer is “weird” as it is not just a “tumor,” but this jelly like substance called “mucin.” My appendix ruptured during the surgery, and the mucin went all over my entire abdominal area, making it Stage 4, metastasis immediately. It was a scary time. I had chemo, several surgeries, then the “BIG SURGERY” where I had a radical hysterectomy, and tumors removed elsewhere, followed by a procedure called “H.I.P.E.C.,” which is essential heated chemo (102 degrees F) that was pumped in my body for 90 minutes with hopes it would kill microscopic cancer cells.

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