30 Jan Surge365 Cares Spotlight on the JWVCF

We are pleased to spotlight the Jennifer Wynn Vancil Cancer Foundation (JWVCF) , founded in 2014 by Surge 365 Chief Operating Officer, Duane Vancil, in honor of his wife Jennifer, who passed away from colorectal cancer in 2012. The JWVCF (www.jwvcf.com)  is the first corporate partner of the newly formed Surge365 Cares program, announced recently at the Surge365 Winter Regional held in New Orleans, LA. Surge365 will match a portion of the donations made to the foundation by Surge365 Business Associates, Members and Vortex Owners.

Jennifer Vancil was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2005 and underwent a successful surgery, however the cancer returned in 2007. Chemotherapy seemed to be successful into 2008, but at the end of that year, Jennifer’s cancer returned a third time. She was no stranger to weeks of daily radiation and 24/7 chemotherapy with its grueling side effects. There were more surgeries and clinical trials until she lost her valiant fight in 2012 at 34 years old. Cancer affects every family member and Jennifer and Duane’s young children, Isaac and Lauren, were no exception. The constant round of treatments, doctors’ visits, appointments and tests is difficult on every family member. Statistics show that 24% of adults diagnosed with cancer are parenting children 18 years of age or younger.

Cancer ravages the family financially, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

• Financially – 40% of patients deplete savings
• Physically – Pain, fatigue, nausea, hair loss, confusion
• Emotionally – 66% suffer from depression
• Spiritually – Doubt, disbelief, feel alone, forgotten, anger

While there are numerous organizations that tackle the strategies necessary to eliminate and educate on the topic of cancer, the mission of the Jennifer Wynn Vancil Cancer Foundation is to help families where a mom or dad has late stage cancer, with children high school age or younger living at home, share quality time together – to take a break from cancer – through vacations, specially arranged trips, outings or other events.

The foundation’s sole purpose is to give families an immediate boost by helping them build memories that will last for a lifetime. The families are treated to first class, red carpet, memory-making experiences at no cost to them.

The JWVCF helps families do ONE SIMPLE THING… take a much needed break to make memories that will last for a lifetime! Duane shares, “This is very near and dear to our hearts because the memories we created with Jennifer are memories that have given us incredible joy and strength.”

JWVCF Foundation is very grateful for the generous support of its partners. Their  contributions make the memories possible and we are proud to include Jennifer’s oncologist, Dr. Andrea Wang-Gillam, MD, Ph.D from the Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine. Please click here for a list of our valued partners. To date the JWVCF has provided memory-making getaways for eight families! Dr. Wang-Gillam stated that there are many families under her care alone, that need a getaway, a break from cancer. Following are quotes from our JWVCF families:

“During a time like this, you just don’t think to take this kind of trip to make memories. It was priceless.” The Singer Family
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“We want you to know that we appreciate you and the JWVCF more than words can express. It was a big enough blessing just to get our whole family together after the craziness they endured the weeks before, but you went way above and beyond with the planning and accommodations! Thank you so much for this amazing, memory-making get away!” The Friedman Family
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“There is no way to describe exactly what this did for us. We laughed and smiled and did whatever we wanted to do. Everything was just perfect.” The Kelly Family
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“It was really cool being able to get away just us… It’s amazing how much fun it is getting up at 6:15 am, watching the sun rise, finding shells and crabs on the beach. It’s a little bit of paradise here.” The Canavan Family

The Jennifer Wynn Vancil Cancer Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization whose goal is help families enjoy quality time together in the midst of their cancer journey. If you would like to donate, please click here. Your tax deductible gift helps provide families the opportunity to make memories that will last a lifetime!