It’s Personal

Written by: Melissa Kovalesky, Co-Founder & President

Many of us have been personally touched by a cancer diagnosis, whether through caring for someone we love or facing it ourselves. This journey brings not only emotional strain and uncertainty, but also significant financial pressure. The cost of treatment, missed work, travel, lodging, medications, and essential living expenses can quickly become overwhelming. Families often struggle to maintain housing, keep utilities connected, provide groceries, and afford transportation to life saving appointments.

On September 6, 2013, almost three months after my 30th birthday, I was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. Just a few weeks later, Jenny’s best friend, Debbie, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia — a cancer she had courageously battled as a child nearly 25 years earlier.

As Debbie and her husband began navigating treatment, they experienced firsthand the crushing financial burden that accompanies a cancer diagnosis. Despite insurance coverage, the out of pocket costs, missed work, and everyday living expenses quickly created overwhelming strain.

Walking alongside them revealed a clear and urgent gap in support for essential living expenses. It was through Debbie’s experience that Families Raising Hope was born. Together with Jeff and Jenny McGinnis, we established FRH to provide direct financial assistance to Arizona families undergoing active cancer treatment.

While my own diagnosis deepened my understanding of the journey, the mission was driven by witnessing the financial hardship Debbie and her family faced.

For more than a decade, our purpose has remained steadfast: to ease the financial toxicity of cancer treatment so families can focus on health, healing, and recovery.