Troops, I think we were all overwhelmed with how many folks showed up to serve on Saturday July 25th. We counted 35 people who came and gave their morning to help a precious family get caught up on some much needed TLC for their lawn. It was a wonderful day! We will have another work day sometime in September/October to help them plant some new greenery. I’ll let you guys know when that will be. I have attached a few pictures from the day, just to give you a visual. I feel so blessed to be part of a group of people who truly enjoy serving others. Thank you!

Troops, this Saturday July 25th, we will gather at a TRF families residence to help with some minor yard work. They have a large yard so we need about 15-20 people to assure the project has plenty of hands and that our time is used efficiently. If you as an individual or as a family are interested in helping, please email me at rashel@therashelfoundation.org. We will meet at 8:30a.m on Saturday, drinks and snacks will be provided.

What an incredible week we have had within TRF. I wish so much that each of you could witness and experience firsthand the relationships I have with the patients we serve. I just want to have a really large home and move them all in with me so I can look after them daily. I feel like I have this unbelievable extended family of loved ones. 

I mean this sincerely, it’s really all possible because God uses each of you to make it so. Just this week alone we have helped four families in need. Allow me to give you a peak into each of their lives. 

William and Bonnie, I mentioned them in a previous post.It has come to our attention that they are renting a room in someone’s home for an amount of money that could afford them their own apartment, including utilities. The only thing standing between them and a place of their own is first and last months rent. They have located an apartment near Trinity Medical Center where William is treated. What an incredible privilege it was for me to call them today and tell them that we were going to empower them to get out of their current living situation. You could literally hear the joy and relief in Bonnie’s voice. 

Beverly was diagnosed recently with advanced stages of breast cancer. She has owned her own house cleaning business for the last ten years and the doctors wanted her to quit her line of work immediately, stating that she cannot be around any chemicals in conjunction with her treatment for her cancer. As she does her part to set up resources such as disability, we were able to approve to pay her mortgage for this month to help her avoid a situation that becomes unmanageable. 

Annie lives in Gardendale and relies on her sister to get her to and from her daily treatments. Week before last a social worker from UAB called me and said that Annie’s sister was not able to transport her this week and they had contacted several other organizations who were not able to help meet Annie’s need. I was thrilled to tell her that we were more then happy to help Annie get to all of her treatments this week. 

Whona lives in Delta Alabama. He has five children, is in his early thirties and struggles to care for his young family, serve as the primary bread winner and also endure his treatments and procedures related to his throat cancer. I wish you could have a conversation with Whona. He is one of the most appreciative and hard working men I have ever had the privilege to know. He has several doctors appointments coming ip and because he lives in Delta, it is a sixty mile commute one way to his appointments. We were able to provide him with a gas card to assure he can fuel his car sufficiently to get him to and from his needed appointments. 

One week. One little week and we were able to help four families carry burdens that each of them felt crushed under. Thank you so much for each of your roles played in this organization. Whether your gift is writing a note of encouragement, making a warm meal, helping to meet a financial need. Each and every contribution, no matter how big or small, enables all of us to meet the needs of families like above mentioned. 

May I encourage you to continue supporting TRF in any way that you can. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve with you and I look forward to the good that is yet to come… 

be blessed, rashel

i understand at times i must sound like a broken record. all the time aware and hyper sensitive to suffering and hardship around me. this past week I was presented with what may be the most urgent request for assistance to date. Wednesday the 24th I received a referral from Trinity Medical Center, a nurse at Trinity named Sandy called to make our group aware of a couple; William and Bonnie. William (62) and Bonnie (58) live in Irondale. William is a cancer patient at Trinity with a terminal diagnosis. When I called Bonnie to assess their needs I was taken back by the urgency of their needs and knew we had to do something immediately to help them. Their most urgent need was food. They were unsure where their next meal was going to come from and so I plunged in head first and went to work on their behalves. One of our troop members and board member for TRF, was gracious to meet the family with some food. In addition, they were being threatened to be evicted over $103 that they owed their landlord. It was surreal and heartwarming to be able to meet these two urgent needs for them and put their minds at ease. One thing I almost always make sure to say to a patient is “I know right now you may feel like you are alone in this battle; but please know we are here for you and will walk with you through this, for as many days as we are needed”.

I am so thankful for each and every one of you. Without your gifts of time, resources and encouragement…. we could not assist families such as the Glass family, so readily. let us continue pouring love on those around us who most assuredly need us. i am overjoyed that we are able and willing to do our part to make a difference, one person at a time, one family at a time.

we are blessed,

rashel

Dear Troops,

I hope your summer is off to a great start. If you are like me, summer is the most fun. Swimming, cookouts, fireworks, beach trips — what a wonderful time of year!  While many of us enjoy the freedom that summer brings, we are constantly in the presence of friends in our community who are living with cancer.  For them, life is not a day at the beach. As trite as it may sound, I am thankful for the consistent dose of humility and perspective.  Please continue to keep the many families we serve in your thoughts and prayers.

Just in the last week, we were able to help Ms. Rosa with transportation.  She is 75-years-old and lives near downtown Birmingham.  We also assisted Ms. Barbara, who cares for an adult child with special needs. TRF was able to help with her co-payments so she can continue treatment prescribed for her continued pain. 

We are also working on a new referral, assessing how we can help this family.  In addition, we continue to hold the Gunn family close to our
hearts as we assess possible additional assistance.

Remember, one family at a time, we are making a difference. May we never grow tired of moving beyond ourselves to serve the needs of others. 

Be well,

Rashel

Today, Maxwell and I celebrate four years since my cancer diagnosis. May we celebrate many more to come!

At times my heart is overwhelmed at the needs of friends in our community, living with cancer and struggling. I am so honored to be part of a mission that strives to lessen the load for our TRF friends. This past week we personally made a difference to Georgianna, Ruth, Karen, Barbara and Whona. Five people who are grateful and relieved to know they are not alone. Georgianna now has a compression sleeve to help with her pain, Ruth made it to all of her radiation appointments, and a by product her daughter Karen was able to continue looking for work, while we made sure Ruth made it to her appointments, on time, each day. Barbara was faced with discontinuing her pain treatments, due to unpaid co-pays, thanks to the generosity of those that give to TRF, we were able to cover her unpaid co-pays and she can now continue her treatment. Whona is doing everything he can to take care of his four children, and battle his cancer head on. His home was struck last week by lightening,  during one of the more aggressive storms. The lightening strike blew out his breaker and it came down to Whona paying for a new breaker so he could have power for he and his family or paying his car payment which enables him to get to his vital doctors appointments. We made that decision easy for Whona, we covered his car payment, so he can take care of his family. Person by person, family by family, we are carrying burdens and relieving friends in our community under great strain. Let us continue to trust God and continue giving of ourselves; we can only gain from that mindset.

I have good reason for setting no limits on my hope for the Rashel Foundation and the community we serve. Last week Mike one of our troop members, spent four hours of his day serving, Virginia, one of our foundation grant recipients, by helping to repair a leak in her roof. Friday afternoon the 24th I received a call from Elise at Impact, a program through UAB hospital. Her patient Eddie is thirty years old and lives in Montgomery, he was being discharged from the hospital that evening and needed a ride to the grey hound bus station, TRF was able to provide that much needed ride for Eddie and Elise was relieved of a pressing need. Monday April 27th, a social worker from UAB hospital contacted me in reference to one of her patients, Ruth, that lives in Warrior Alabama. Ruth’s daughter brings her in to the city daily for her radiation treatments but her daughter has had to take a large amount of time from work and needed some help getting her mom safely to her radiation treatments, each day at the same time. TRF was able to provide Ruth’s needed transportation Wednesday April 29th, today the 30th and tomorrow the 1st. The beauty of this gift is it blesses more then just Ruth… it relieves Karen, Ruth’s social worker, Karen, Ruth’s daughter and Ruth herself. We are privileged to be able to serve. May we daily move beyond ourselves to love on others. If your desire is to serve and you need to know how, or where? Email me, I can plug you in.

The Rashel Foundation is a local resource for the Birmingham community that provides tangible help to those going through the difficult season of cancer.

Visit our YouTube Page www.youtube.com/therashelfoundation