Removing Barriers to Treatment
Cancer doesn't just threaten health. It threatens housing, transportation, utilities, food security, and the ability to stay on treatment. Here's how your support fights back.
Based on 1,903 patient expenses across 11 hospitals, 2022–2026
Barriers Removed
Hospital Partners
Typical Response Time
States Served
Growth Since 2022
The Hidden Cost of Cancer
For blood cancer patients, the crisis extends far beyond diagnosis. Treatment demands daily travel, extended hospital stays, and time away from work. Bills don't stop. Rent is still due. The car still needs gas.
This is financial toxicity — and it forces patients to choose between paying for treatment and paying for life. Each of the 1,903 expenses below represents a moment where that choice was taken off a patient's plate.
42%
of expenses
Getting to treatment
25%
of dollars
Keeping the lights on
16%
of dollars
Keeping families housed
What Your Support Protects
Every expense we cover removes a barrier that could have interrupted treatment.
Aligned with Hospital Priorities
These support categories map directly to the Social Determinants of Health that hospitals track through their Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) — an IRS requirement for tax-exempt hospitals. By addressing transportation, housing, utilities, and other non-medical costs, LLBF provides hospitals with measurable community benefit data while delivering real relief to patients.
Keeping the lights on
306 shutoffs prevented
$206
average per expense
16.1% of all expenses
Preventing utility shutoffs during treatment when patients cannot work. Maintaining safe living conditions — heat, electricity, water — is essential for immunocompromised patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Keeping families housed
62 families kept in their homes
$667
average per expense
3.3% of all expenses
Preventing housing loss when cancer patients can no longer work. Mortgage and rent assistance keeps families in their homes during the most difficult period of treatment.
Getting to treatment
795 trips funded
$51
average per expense
41.8% of all expenses
Removing transportation barriers so patients can reach treatment centers. Gas cards are the most frequently issued grant, reflecting the critical need for reliable transportation during active cancer treatment.
Staying close to care
377 nights near the hospital
$105
average per expense
19.8% of all expenses
Providing hotel and temporary housing near treatment centers for patients who must travel long distances for specialized cancer care, stem cell transplants, and multi-day treatment protocols.
Maintaining dignity
207 essentials provided
$150
average per expense
10.9% of all expenses
Covering personal essentials — wigs, dental work, clothing, and comfort items — that help patients maintain dignity and normalcy during cancer treatment.
Staying on medication
92 prescriptions covered
$279
average per expense
4.8% of all expenses
Covering medication co-pays, specialty pharmacy costs, and prescription expenses that insurance does not fully cover during active cancer treatment.
Whatever else is needed
58 barriers removed
$155
average per expense
3% of all expenses
Miscellaneous patient support expenses that span multiple need categories, including phone bills, childcare, and other essential costs during treatment.
Putting food on the table
6 families fed
$358
average per expense
0.3% of all expenses
Addressing food insecurity during treatment. Nutritional support is critical for patients undergoing chemotherapy and transplant recovery, especially when treatment side effects limit the ability to prepare meals.
Behind Every Expense, a Patient Stayed in Treatment
Details generalized to protect patient privacy. Based on social worker narratives from our hospital partners.
$50 gas card → a parent reached the hospital every day during intensive leukemia treatment
A young child diagnosed with leukemia required mostly inpatient treatment. Both parents were employed, but the daily travel created mounting costs the foundation helped cover.
CHOP
$200 utility payment → heat stayed on while a father fought ALL
A father had to stop working after his ALL diagnosis. When the electric bill surged during winter and a shutoff notice arrived, the foundation stepped in to prevent it.
Fox Chase Cancer Center
$667 mortgage payment → family stayed in their home during transplant recovery
A patient who worked in transportation could no longer maintain his job between appointments and side effects. The foundation covered several months of mortgage payments.
St. Luke’s
One Mission, Tailored to Every Hospital
Each hospital's patients have different needs. Our model adapts — from $50 gas cards at CHOP to $667 rent payments at St. Luke's. From Philadelphia to Morgantown, WV.
St. Luke's
Average Per Expense
372
Expenses Covered
WVU Cancer Institute
Average Per Expense
742
Expenses Covered
Jefferson Health
Average Per Expense
201
Expenses Covered
Lehigh Valley
Average Per Expense
168
Expenses Covered
NYOH
Average Per Expense
125
Expenses Covered
Penn Medicine Doylestown
Average Per Expense
95
Expenses Covered
Geisinger
Average Per Expense
48
Expenses Covered
CHOP
Average Per Expense
115
Expenses Covered
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Average Per Expense
34
Expenses Covered
Chester County Hospital
Average Per Expense
3
Expenses Covered
Key Insight
St. Luke's averages $221 per expense across 372 grants — covering rent, utilities, and medication for patients in acute need — while WVU Cancer Institute averages $71 across 742 expenses, primarily gas cards and lodging for patients traveling for specialized treatment. This isn't one-size-fits-all — it's proof that our model works because it adapts to each hospital's unique patient needs.
Expanding Our Reach Year by Year
From 64 expenses in our inaugural year to 763 in 2025, LLBF expanded patient support by more than 10x.
Expenses
64
Avg Expense
$168
Expenses
427
Avg Expense
$138
Expenses
497
Avg Expense
$147
Expenses
763
Avg Expense
$120
Expenses
152
Avg Expense
$116
As we've grown, so has the diversity of needs we address. What started as primarily transportation and medication has expanded to include utilities, lodging, rent, and more.
Category Distribution by Year
Small Amounts That Change Everything
77% of what we fund costs between $50 and $250. A gas card. A night in a hotel. A utility payment. These aren't big checks — they're lifelines.
Typical Expense
Average Expense
Smallest Lifeline
Largest Single Grant
Key Insight
Most of what we do costs less than a dinner out. But for a patient choosing between gas money and chemotherapy, $50 changes everything. Higher-impact needs like rent (avg $667) and utilities (avg $206) address the acute crises that can derail treatment entirely.
Who We Serve
Blood cancer affects patients of every age. Our support reaches across diagnoses, demographics, and life stages.
Age Distribution
Based on ~253 patient stories with age data. Peak: ages 46–75 (60.4%).
Gender Distribution
Based on 95 recent patient records with gender data.
Diagnosis Mentions
Diagnoses extracted from recent patient records. Many patients have multiple diagnoses or generic "blood cancer" references.
60% of patients we serve are between ages 46–75 — working-age adults and recent retirees whose cancer diagnoses create immediate financial strain on their households.
About This Data
The figures presented in this report are derived from hospital social worker submissions spanning 2022 to the present. In our earlier years, hospital partners reported expenses in aggregate rather than on a per-patient basis, and record-keeping methods varied across institutions. As our tracking systems have matured, reporting has become more granular and standardized.
Where aggregate records were identified, we applied category-specific statistical methods to estimate individual expense counts. These estimates are designed to preserve total dollar amounts exactly while presenting a more accurate picture of the number of patients served. As a result, expense counts are reasonable approximations rather than exact totals.
The Live Like Brent Foundation is committed to transparency and has made every reasonable effort to present this data clearly and accurately. This report is intended for informational purposes and does not constitute audited financial statements. For audited financials, please refer to our annual IRS Form 990 filing.
Every Barrier Removed Is a Patient Who Stays in Treatment
1,903 expenses funded. 11 hospitals. And the need keeps growing. Your donation goes directly to patients — a gas card, a utility payment, a month of rent — whatever it takes to keep them focused on getting better.