Striving4More - To ensure that children with cancer and their families receive quality emotional and spiritual support.

Striving for More is a nonprofit, charitable organization whose purpose is to raise awareness of the importance of psychosocial care for children battling cancer and to provide funding to hospitals so they can implement emotional and spiritual support services to better serve the needs of these children.

There are many ways that Striving4More Serves the Community

• Beads of Courage
• Patient Support Grants
• Triangle Childhood Cancer Support Group
• Book Donations
• Procedure Room Art Mural
• Medical Play Dolls
• Additional Resources

Many excellent physicians are working on research to find cures for cancer. However, these priorities frequently result in a lack of funding for proper psychosocial care. Striving for More seeks to obtains funds from corporate sponsors, charitable organizations, community involvement and fund raising events.

“The failure to address the very real psychosocial health needs of patients and their caregivers is a failure to effectively treat that patient’s cancer, plain and simple.” according to an October 2007 Institute of Medicine report brief(Cancer Care for the Whole Patient: Meeting Psychosocial Health Needs)

Proper psychological care for our children should be a health care standard, not a luxury. That is the mission and passion of Striving4More

I have more than 20 years of experience working for major corporations as a Business Analyst and most recently as a Program Manager.

In June of 2008 my life was tragically turned upside down when my 9 year old daughter, Colleen died of Osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer. During Colleen’s 9 month battle with this disease, we took Colleen to three different hospitals and saw distinctly different levels of care in the area of psychosocial support. After Colleen died, thoughts of children struggling with life threatening and terminal cancers without proper emotional support continued to haunt me.

In October, I made the decision to research the issue more fully which led to the decision to create the charitable organization called Striving for More and dedicate my full time work day to making this organization a success.

I live in Raleigh with my husband, Vince and my 12 year old daughter, Mackenna. I am also actively involved with my church (Evergreen Community Church) and my community (Hawthorne).