Branches of Hope Fund: Danette’s Story
Danette Gagne is one of the reasons why National Life Group is proud to bring the community together at Do Good Fest to celebrate the incredible work of our local nonprofits.
Danette has been undergoing treatment for cancer for the past year and credits the Branches of Hope at Central Vermont Medical Center’s National Life Cancer Treatment Center for helping to ease her journey.
Established in 2010, Branches of Hope directly supports the needs of individuals and families receiving cancer care. It helps with both routine and unexpected expenses related to housing, transportation, medical services and much more. Sometimes the small grant enables the person to complete treatment. Sometimes it helps the person sleep at night. Always, it gives hope. All proceeds from the Do Good Fest will benefit Branches of Hope.
As part of her treatment, Danette had to make round trips of more than six hours every two weeks to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston last summer. That would have meant hitting the road by 3:30 a.m. because Danette’s family couldn’t afford overnight stays.
That’s when a patient advocate at the Cancer Treatment Center connected Danette with Branches of Hope. The patient fund helped pay for hotel rooms in the Boston area when Danette and her family needed to stay overnight for treatments.
“I also had to have the springs in the front of my car replaced, so that I could continue to go to Boston for treatment and Branches of Hope graciously helped with that,” Danette said. “It was a HUGE relief to my husband and I. We are so grateful for the help we have received from Branches of Hope.”
Danette’s story illustrates some of the many challenges faced by cancer patients and the ways in which Branches of Hope provides much needed support to help patients and their families through very difficult and stressful times. It might be as simple as providing a gas card so a patient can fill up the car to get to an appointment, or filling the heating oil tank in the winter for patients who are out of work while undergoing treatments.
At Do Good Fest, attendees can learn more about the amazing work being done by Branches of Hope and other local nonprofits at the Nonprofit Village. These organizations are dedicated to improving the lives of people in the communities in which they serve, and National Life Group is proud to support their efforts.
Last year’s Do Good Fest raised nearly $11,000 for patients like Danette who are served by Branches of Hope. This year, with your help, our goal is to raise even more. See you on July 18th!