PHILADELPHIA, PA — The Live Like Brent Foundation is expanding a regional safety net aimed at one of the most overlooked pressures facing blood cancer patients: the cost of everyday life during treatment.
The nonprofit said it has significantly grown its network of hospital-based “Comfort Funds,” which provide direct financial assistance for expenses not covered by insurance, including rent, transportation, medications, and other daily necessities. The expansion includes the launch of a new fund at Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital, adding to a growing roster of major healthcare partners across Pennsylvania and the surrounding region.
The initiative is designed to remove a common but devastating dilemma for patients — choosing between continuing treatment and meeting basic financial obligations. By covering critical out-of-pocket costs, the foundation said the program allows patients to focus on recovery rather than economic survival.
Jeff Mattes, executive director of the Live Like Brent Foundation, said the growing network reflects the organization’s founding mission while highlighting a rising need for sustainable funding. He said as the foundation partners with more hospitals, demand for financial support continues to accelerate, making long-term donor and corporate participation essential.
The foundation’s Comfort Fund network now supports patients at institutions including Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center, Doylestown Health, St. Luke’s Cancer Center, Geisinger, Jefferson Health, Fox Chase Cancer Center, and the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, among others.
Hospital social workers, who often see patients struggle with non-medical costs, say the funds fill a critical gap in cancer care. Dawn Clancy, an oncology social worker at the Penn Medicine Abramson Cancer Center of Chester County Hospital, said the partnership helps relieve significant stress for patients and allows clinical teams to stay focused on treatment and outcomes.
To support continued expansion, the foundation is launching a public call for corporate partners and individual donors. Its “Adopt a Hospital” program allows businesses to establish a named Comfort Fund by raising $10,000 annually, while individuals can participate through the Legends Circle, a monthly giving program starting at $33 per month that provides predictable funding for urgent patient needs.
The Live Like Brent Foundation was created in honor of Brent P. Evans and his battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Its mission centers on easing the financial burden of cancer so patients and families can concentrate on healing, not hardship, as treatment extends across months or years.
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