Carie Stock
Cancer families are scared, uncertain, angry, putting on a brave face, grabbing onto hope, and trying to do everything they can to put one foot in front of the other. It’s difficult to balance and merge your old life with this new scary hospital life.
When I’m connecting to cancer families who have been referred to us, I am instantly transported back to life at the hospital. The lights, the smell, the sounds of machines, busy nurses and doctors in their white lab coats. When I was 13 months old I was diagnosed with a rare tumor called Rhabdomyosarcoma. It was the size of a grapefruit and was located in my abdomen. I was given only a 10% chance of surviving. My Mom was a single parent and pregnant at the time. On a moment’s notice, our lives were turned upside down. The years following brought not only stress but also huge financial hardship.
I can’t rewrite the past, I can’t make it better for my Mom, but what I can do is take what I learned from my own experience and use that knowledge to make it easier for cancer families whose lives are unfolding in this daunting chapter. We can’t change the outcome, but we can impact the journey and help make it a little bit lighter.
– Carie Stock, Founder of Helping Families Handle Cancer
Our Purpose
Our purpose is to alleviate financial stress for families in a redemptive manner that allows them to focus on the medical care and well being of their family during a childhood cancer diagnosis.
Our Mission
We provide financial relief to families who are journeying a childhood cancer diagnosis. This support allows the family to focus on the medical care their child needs and helps to alleviate the financial burdens that occur during their medical crisis.
Our Vision
To alleviate financial hardship and the associated mental strains through the timely provision of much-needed financial support. Our vision is to become the primary charity supporting families who have a child with cancer in treatment at children’s hospitals across Canada.
Our History
Carie was deeply moved by her mother’s experience navigating her childhood cancer diagnosis, and this led her to start a foundation that could make a difference for the family of a child with cancer. In 2008, Carie started Helping Families Handle Cancer.
Carie turned a life experience that most people would want to forget into her life’s work. She grew up knowing that her purpose was to help others. No family should have to experience unmanageable financial burdens during a health crisis.
Carie has been involved in many cancer-related activities – fundraising for research, shaving her head at 18, participating on the board of directors for a cancer charity for three years, attending worldwide conferences, and serving as a camp counsellor for cancer survivors and their siblings. The media have covered Carie’s story and life experiences since she was two years old.
In 2007, Carie was the recipient of the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award. In February 2012, Carie received the Woman of Vision Award through Global Television. Her passion for helping others is the fuel behind Helping Families Handle Cancer and a guide to those involved.
Our Financials
We fund our operations through grants, fundraising events, and the generous donations of caring businesses and individuals. We value transparency and accountability. As a result, we are efficient and responsible stewards of our donor dollars.
Staff & Board of Directors
