Toots for Tufts is a non-profit organization created in memory of Marc “Toots” Jackson. Marc lost his eight and a half year battle with brain cancer on May 21, 2013; he was only 35 years old. Through Marc’s battle, he and his family became very close to the medical team supporting him. He learned that many patients suffered from financial hardships, adding additional stress to what is already the most difficult time of most patient’s lives. Because Marc felt blessed to have the support of his family during his treatments, his wish was to support the Neruo-Oncolcogy Patient Support Fund.
The main purpose of the Fund is to assist brain cancer patients with financial hardships pay for basic life necessities. Our mission is to help remove financial obstacles for those who are already fighting for their lives. Recipient decisions are made by the patient’s medical team at Tufts. The team is made up of the patient’s doctor, nurse, social worker and clinic coordinator and they decide together as a group who should receive funds.
With your support, we have assisted patients with:
- co-pay fees
- groceries and rent
- parking costs while getting treated at Tufts
The Fund also supports broader patient programs at Tufts. We have funded a Reiki therapist to treat patients onsite at the Cancer Center twice a month. In the cancer setting, patients who receive treatment often report an increased sense of hope and inner peace along with decreased anxiety and improved comfort.
We also funded a “Spider Super Hero Program” at Tufts Floating Hospital for Children. This was an education program for pediatric patients using superhero spiders to teach them about how illnesses can be cured.
We could not do any of this without your help!