WORCESTER, Mass. - Michelle Power lost her childhood best friend Liz in June after a more than 10 year battle with breast cancer.
“We grew up together, we had similar backgrounds,” Power said. “She struggled tremendously at the end and I was with her through her chemo, when time she went home and up util the night she passed.”
Liz’s fight was one of the reasons Power started the non-profit Pawsitively 4 Pink. Since 2018, they’ve been supporting low-income women diagnosed with breast cancer in Massachusetts with a focus on Worcester county.
“It really is kind of stark. I mean the walls are white, it’s cold in these rooms. Many people are by themselves going through this journey and you just get a completely different perspective,” Power said.
So far, they’ve raised more than $800,000 to support women and their families. Sometimes it’s helping out with the mortgage, a gift card to the grocery store or money to buy gas.
“No one should have to worry about having housing or food or about taking care of their kids,” Power said. “We just have to do a better job of taking care of people. We just have to do it. That’s what we are here for.”
Power dedicates every day to this cause and at home, Kathy Chapman is her support system. The two have been together nearly 20 years and now they both work for the organization.
“It’s a lot of work,” Chapman said. “The two of us are up at 9 o’clock and sometimes we are out of the house and coming back and working and answering questions and trying to follow things along.”
They said the biggest challenge is the constant funding and going up against much larger non-profits who also help breast cancer patients.
“Eighty percent of all grants go towards the largest non-profit organizations and they typically get those grants year after year after year,” Power said. “So, to try and break through and get one of those grants is virtually impossible.”
Power said Pawsitively 4 Pink is different because they meet women where they’re at and support them whether they choice traditional or holistic therapy.
“I’ll never forget this call Michelle had and she said how can I help you and she said, I just want pajamas. I’m so cold in there. And Michelle said, I’ll buy you 10 pajamas,” Chapman said.
While neither Power or Chapman have ever been diagnosed with breast cancer, they said it’s an honor to walk through this journey with so many women.