CSI Miami Star Serves as Spokesperson for Beckstrand Cancer Foundation
By: Kelly Rouba
When dealing with a serious illness like cancer, it is no surprise that it can be draining emotionally, but CSI: Miami star Eva LaRue has stepped up as a spokesperson for Beckstrand Cancer Foundation to remind the public just how draining the disease can also be on one’s finances.
LaRue, who lost her grandmother and her great-grandmother to cancer, became the foundation’s spokesperson after hearing her dress designer Oday Shakar recount how a bout with cancer financially devastated him when he was just starting out in business a few years ago. “He designed my wedding dress and then he also designed my dress for the Emmys and the dress I just wore to the Grammys. He was just awesome,” LaRue said. But, at the time he was starting out, “he did not have medical insurance and it totally wiped him out because going through all the medications alone, it can (cost) thousands of dollars and forget the treatments—they are like outrageously expensive.”
Fortunately, Shakar learned about the Beckstrand Cancer Foundation and reached out to them for help. Named after Dr. Grant Beckstrand, a pioneering oncologist from Long Beach, CA, the Beckstrand Cancer Foundation officially became a non-profit organization in 1974 and aims to enhance the quality of life for cancer patients and their families since everything from paying bills to getting rides to the treatment center can be difficult to manage while dealing with the disease. As part of their services, staff advocate for patients, intervene with debtors, help make crucial payments, and provide counseling.
If You Have A Debt Problem, You need to know all your options. American Debt Enders can get you on the road to Debt Freedom.
"If you don't have medical insurance, they can help you pay for some of your bills, "LaRue said, noting this often includes insurance co-pays, medication expenses, and even hotel stays while a person is receiving treatments at the hospital, if it is far from their home.
During times of illness, “it usually means that one person in a couple has to stop working. So now you don’t have a two income family anymore and you’ve got a one income family, and it’s just financially devastating, so they will either pay for your mortgage, they’ll pay your hotel stay, they’ll pay your medical bills, they’ll pay whatever it is that you need financial help doing for about the six months that you’re in treatment. It’s really an amazing organization, (and) it’s not for any one specific kind of cancer. It’s totally for anybody being affected by cancer financially.”
After contacting the foundation, Shakar received the assistance he needed. “He told me that they saved him five years ago and he was able to…get his business off the ground when he beat the cancer. Now he donates a bunch of his gowns every year to their big auction—about $50,000 in gowns he donates—and he was the one who said, ‘You know they are looking for a spokesperson and I just think you’d be great, but go to their gala and see if you really like it and see how you feel.’ And then I went and it was just the most amazing organization and has the most amazing people running it and…they are on every last detail.”
Discount Medical Products for Consumers and Professionals - CLICK HERE!
Although the foundation is currently based in Southern California, LaRue said they are working to expand into other areas. “It’s obviously an incredibly needed organization everywhere,” she said, adding, “There are all of these amazing organizations that donate money—they all have money for research, for awareness, or breast cancer awareness or breast cancer in general—but there is nothing really for the actual patients.
The hope is "that we can raise more funds and hopefully get other people interested in donating money and raising awareness for our national scholarship fund." LaRue recently participated in the foundation’s 5K Walk Fundraiser and shot several public service announcements as well as an ad campaign. The hope is “that we can raise more funds and hopefully get other people interested in opening chapters in other areas and also to start promoting the scholarship fund.” The scholarship fund currently allocates monetary awards to individuals under the age of 25 throughout the US who have been diagnosed with cancer and are planning to attend or who already attend college and are in need of financial assistance.
“There are so many charities and so many events and so many things that we get invited to as actors, but most of the time, we are not directly connected to them, nor do you see the immediate pay off,” LaRue said. “The thing that I loved about this organization is that you immediately see the people that it helps.”
Since becoming involved with Beckstrand, LaRue has met some of the families aided by the foundation and she’s personally helped a few of them herself. “We adopted one of the families for Christmas. They were just financially devastated by cancer when their little boy got leukemia and their mother had to quit working so that she could be in the hospital all the time. She had two other children that she needed somebody to take care of and by the time Christmas rolled around, they were absolutely broke.”
Upon hearing that, LaRue said they decided to become a “Secret Santa” for the family. “(We) bought everything on their Christmas list and made sure that they had a really beautiful Christmas.”
As their spokesperson, LaRue encourages others to join her in supporting the Beckstrand Cancer Foundation for a number of reasons. “You know where your money is going and you know how it’s helping,” she said.
“Sometimes people find out about Beckstrand too late, so they’ve already lost their house or they’ve already moved in with their parents, but what they end up needing is food vouchers or gasoline vouchers or babysitting or whatever it is they need, (Beckstrand pays) for so, it really has a very personal feeling to it, which is what I love about it. So it’s not just an organization where you’re fundraising and you have no idea where the money goes or what it’s doing or who it’s helping directly—and that’s why I really love it.”
To learn more about the Beckstrand Cancer Foundation, visit http://beckstrand.org.
Join Our Newsletter List
