In January, 20-year-old Liliana Suarez was on vacation with her parents and sisters in Mexico when she got very sick. She got headaches, an eye infection, throat pain and bruises around her legs. On one occasion, she fainted.
The Oxnard family rushed back and headed straight to the hospital from the airport where Suarez was diagnosed with leukemia. Her mother, Rosa Magadaleno, said the family of five hasn't seen life the same way since.
“Some days are very hard," Magadaleno said. "Some days when I feel like everything is getting better, I just have a lot of hope.”
Through Suarez's eight-month treatment journey, the family received $6,500 in financial support from the Santa Barbara-based Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation.
In an expansion of services last year, the foundation, known for helping families with children undergoing cancer treatment, started accepting 18-to-21-year-olds for assistance as long as their treatment follows a pediatric protocol.
“We felt it was really important because this is what we're calling the forgotten population,” said Brittany Wazny, senior development director at the foundation. “They're considered adults but they're still really kids in so many ways.”
Wazny said young adults at that age who may be in college are still dependent on their parents, but there are no avenues of financial support for them. She added that cancer treatment can also cause social, cognitive and physical developmental delays so even as children age, the disruption caused by the cancer sets them back.
How does the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation help?
In the past, the foundation has provided financial aid to families with children undergoing cancer treatment from Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties. Low- to moderate-income families can qualify for funding of $5,000 to $7,000 upon diagnosis.
The funding usually helps families with rent or mortgage payments, transportation expenses, bills, medications, food, child care and home care services or even hotel accommodations if they have to travel to treatment centers that are far away. According to Wazny, 67 families have been from Ventura County, making up 49% of the total families served by the foundation in 2024.
The foundation has four other funds that families can tap. If a child relapses, a family can get another $2,500 to restart the treatment journey. If a child needs a bone marrow transplant or if a child receives a secondary cancer diagnosis, the family can receive another $2,500. The foundation also helps with up to $2,500 for funeral arrangements.
The funding was initiated because the majority of families who have a child going through cancer have to have at least one parent stop working to keep up with a child’s treatment and appointments, Wazny said.
“For a dual-income household, that is a pretty significant impact,” she said.
Fortunately, Magadaleno, a caregiver for two women, did not have to completely give up work as her two older daughters, 26 and 21, helped care for their younger sister.
Magadaleno said the money from the foundation helped them cover necessities while her daughter’s medical treatments were covered by Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid health program.
‘Happy to finally move forward’
Suarez first started treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, but it would take the family more than two hours to get there. So, they switched to Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, which is a 40-minute drive.
Monday to Friday, she goes to the hospital in the mornings. Suarez said her last biopsy, on July 19, came back clear and she is now in remission. She is expected to finish treatments Sept. 20.
"It feels like a big relief,” Suarez said. “I'm grateful. Yeah, I'm just really happy to finally move forward.”
Suarez is a sophomore at Oxnard College. She had to pause school after she was diagnosed but was able to restart classes this fall. She is interested in pursuing nursing. Being in the hospital a lot made her more curious about the profession. She said she wants to help somebody like herself someday.
Suarez added that the nurses at both hospitals where she was treated were very good and supportive. She felt like they were her friends.
Although it was difficult for her to process the diagnosis in the beginning, Suarez said she never felt alone and found the greatest support from her family.
To learn more about the Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation, visit www.teddybearcancerfoundation.org .
Dua Anjum is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at dua.anjum@vcstar.com . This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation's Fund to Support Local Journalism.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Oxnard family benefits from expansion of pediatric cancer foundation’s aid program
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