How We've Helped (and Who We've Helped)
The Leigh Sakoda Foundation works directly with non-profit organizations, leading cancer research institutes, and hospitals to ensure that 100% of the proceeds go to directly to young women who are fighting rare and aggressive cancer and are in need of financial support. Patients and families frequently need help paying for medical bills, diagnostics, prescription drugs, and other related expenses in the fight for life. The Foundation seeks to support those most in need who carry the strength, courage, and compassion for others as embodied in the life of Leigh Sakoda. This section of the website will be updated with every grant throughout the year, and will provide personal information made available with the consent of the patients.
2010-2012 Donations
On February 4, 2010, The Leigh Sakoda Foundation made its first gift to a young woman at Sloan-Kettering in her early 20's fighting cervical cancer (Leigh died of a rare cervical cancer). This patient was initially diagnosed at the age of 18, and the disease continues to be aggressive. Tragically, her mother died of breast cancer when she was only 10 years old, and her single father takes care of her and two siblings. Her father works two jobs but cannot afford to purchase an insurance policy to pay her daughter's balances. The family will be receiving financial support for mounting medical bills and expenses from the Foundation. This gift was made possible through a grant to the Family Reach Foundation and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
On May 23, 2010, The Leigh Sakoda Foundation made a gift in celebration of Mother's and Father's day to a young woman from New Jersey with stage III ovarian cancer. Her medical coverage has historically been provided by her parent’s insurance plan, which recently stopped paying her bills when she reached the age of 23. The new federal healthcare bill will require her insurance company to resume coverage until she is 26 years old, but this bill will not go into effect until later this year. In the interim her parents face significant medical expenses to treat this very difficult disease. This gift was also made possible through the Family Reach Foundation and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
On August 9, 2010, The Leigh Sakoda Foundation celebrated Leigh’s Mother’s 69th Birthday by making a grant to a 23 year old woman in Boston with late stage Osteosarcoma (a very rare bone cancer). She was originally diagnosed with the disease in 2005, and has fought a very long fight which has included 14 surgeries and 2 amputations (what an incredible woman!). Her cancer recently spread to her lungs and she has been given the news that she likely will live less than one year. Her father was recently laid off and her parents have significant financial need and need help paying her medical bills as well as living expenses for their family. This gift was made possible through the Family Reach Foundation and the Dana Farber Cancer Center.
On December 25, 2010, The Leigh Sakoda Foundation celebrated Christmas Day (and the holiday season!) by making 2 very important grants. The first is to a 30 year old woman in New York who has metastatic synovial sarcoma (rare soft tissue cancer). She has been fighting the disease since 2006, is unable to work, and is in significant financial need. The second is a 26 year old woman (also in New York) who has a metastatic Ewing sarcoma (a very rare bone cancer). She has been fighting the disease since 2005 and currently lives with her parents (who cannot pay for all of her medical bills). Both patients are being treated at the Dana Farber Cancer Center in Boston.
On February 4, 2011, the Leigh Sakoda Foundation celebrated Leigh’s Birthday by making a very important grant to a 29 year old woman in San Francisco who has leiomyosarcoma (a rare cancer that manifests itself in smooth muscle tissue). She has been fighting the disease since 2009, has undergone surgery and extensive chemotherapy, and is carrying a very heavy debt burden. She is being treated at the UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco.
On June 19, 2011, the Leigh Sakoda Foundation celebrated Father’s Day by making a very important grant to a 25 year old woman in New Jersey who has osteosarcoma (a very rare bone cancer). Her mother and father are on social security disability and her mother is also fighting thyroid cancer. She has been fighting the disease since 2008, has her family struggles to meet their monthly medical and living expenses. She has undergone several surgeries including prosthetic replacements and is still fighting hard against this terrible disease.
On October 15, 2011, the Leigh Sakoda Foundation celebrated the 2 year anniversary of Leigh’s death by making 2 very important grants. The first was to a 33 year old woman in Philadelphia who has high grade cervical cancer (very similar to Leigh’s cancer). This patient was identified at the University of Pennsylvania by one of the supporters of The Leigh Sakoda Foundation, making it a very special gift. This patient is a mother of 3 and her family struggles to meet all medical bills. Her cancer has metastasized and she must undergo several chemo and radiation treatments with poor prognosis.
The second grant was to an 18 year old woman in New York who has osteosarcoma (a very rare bone cancer). Her father recently had a very bad accident and has not been able to return to work. As such, her family struggles to meet medical expenses, including basic necessities such as utilities and rent. She has been fighting the disease since 2010 and like similar patients with her disease, has undergone several surgeries to cope with her condition. She is being treated at the Mount Sinai Medical Center.
On February 4, 2012, the Leigh Sakoda Foundation celebrated Leigh’s birthday by making 2 very important grants. The first was to a 19 year-old woman diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a very rare and aggressive bone cancer that affects teenagers and young adults. She lives with her mother and stepfather, and her mom has had to take much time off from work to take her to chemotherapy appointments nearly 100 miles away from her home. She is being treated at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.
The second grant was to a 23 year old woman recently diagnosed with primitive neuroectodermal brain cancer, a rare disease that often spreads throughout the central nervous system. She was supposed to have completed her senior year of college but had to withdraw from school to fight her disease. She lives in Northern California with her mother (her parents have recently separated), and they face significant medical expenses and co-pays. She is being treated at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.
For more information, please contact jon.sakoda@gmail.com
2010-2012 Donations
On February 4, 2010, The Leigh Sakoda Foundation made its first gift to a young woman at Sloan-Kettering in her early 20's fighting cervical cancer (Leigh died of a rare cervical cancer). This patient was initially diagnosed at the age of 18, and the disease continues to be aggressive. Tragically, her mother died of breast cancer when she was only 10 years old, and her single father takes care of her and two siblings. Her father works two jobs but cannot afford to purchase an insurance policy to pay her daughter's balances. The family will be receiving financial support for mounting medical bills and expenses from the Foundation. This gift was made possible through a grant to the Family Reach Foundation and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
On May 23, 2010, The Leigh Sakoda Foundation made a gift in celebration of Mother's and Father's day to a young woman from New Jersey with stage III ovarian cancer. Her medical coverage has historically been provided by her parent’s insurance plan, which recently stopped paying her bills when she reached the age of 23. The new federal healthcare bill will require her insurance company to resume coverage until she is 26 years old, but this bill will not go into effect until later this year. In the interim her parents face significant medical expenses to treat this very difficult disease. This gift was also made possible through the Family Reach Foundation and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
On August 9, 2010, The Leigh Sakoda Foundation celebrated Leigh’s Mother’s 69th Birthday by making a grant to a 23 year old woman in Boston with late stage Osteosarcoma (a very rare bone cancer). She was originally diagnosed with the disease in 2005, and has fought a very long fight which has included 14 surgeries and 2 amputations (what an incredible woman!). Her cancer recently spread to her lungs and she has been given the news that she likely will live less than one year. Her father was recently laid off and her parents have significant financial need and need help paying her medical bills as well as living expenses for their family. This gift was made possible through the Family Reach Foundation and the Dana Farber Cancer Center.
On December 25, 2010, The Leigh Sakoda Foundation celebrated Christmas Day (and the holiday season!) by making 2 very important grants. The first is to a 30 year old woman in New York who has metastatic synovial sarcoma (rare soft tissue cancer). She has been fighting the disease since 2006, is unable to work, and is in significant financial need. The second is a 26 year old woman (also in New York) who has a metastatic Ewing sarcoma (a very rare bone cancer). She has been fighting the disease since 2005 and currently lives with her parents (who cannot pay for all of her medical bills). Both patients are being treated at the Dana Farber Cancer Center in Boston.
On February 4, 2011, the Leigh Sakoda Foundation celebrated Leigh’s Birthday by making a very important grant to a 29 year old woman in San Francisco who has leiomyosarcoma (a rare cancer that manifests itself in smooth muscle tissue). She has been fighting the disease since 2009, has undergone surgery and extensive chemotherapy, and is carrying a very heavy debt burden. She is being treated at the UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco.
On June 19, 2011, the Leigh Sakoda Foundation celebrated Father’s Day by making a very important grant to a 25 year old woman in New Jersey who has osteosarcoma (a very rare bone cancer). Her mother and father are on social security disability and her mother is also fighting thyroid cancer. She has been fighting the disease since 2008, has her family struggles to meet their monthly medical and living expenses. She has undergone several surgeries including prosthetic replacements and is still fighting hard against this terrible disease.
On October 15, 2011, the Leigh Sakoda Foundation celebrated the 2 year anniversary of Leigh’s death by making 2 very important grants. The first was to a 33 year old woman in Philadelphia who has high grade cervical cancer (very similar to Leigh’s cancer). This patient was identified at the University of Pennsylvania by one of the supporters of The Leigh Sakoda Foundation, making it a very special gift. This patient is a mother of 3 and her family struggles to meet all medical bills. Her cancer has metastasized and she must undergo several chemo and radiation treatments with poor prognosis.
The second grant was to an 18 year old woman in New York who has osteosarcoma (a very rare bone cancer). Her father recently had a very bad accident and has not been able to return to work. As such, her family struggles to meet medical expenses, including basic necessities such as utilities and rent. She has been fighting the disease since 2010 and like similar patients with her disease, has undergone several surgeries to cope with her condition. She is being treated at the Mount Sinai Medical Center.
On February 4, 2012, the Leigh Sakoda Foundation celebrated Leigh’s birthday by making 2 very important grants. The first was to a 19 year-old woman diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a very rare and aggressive bone cancer that affects teenagers and young adults. She lives with her mother and stepfather, and her mom has had to take much time off from work to take her to chemotherapy appointments nearly 100 miles away from her home. She is being treated at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.
The second grant was to a 23 year old woman recently diagnosed with primitive neuroectodermal brain cancer, a rare disease that often spreads throughout the central nervous system. She was supposed to have completed her senior year of college but had to withdraw from school to fight her disease. She lives in Northern California with her mother (her parents have recently separated), and they face significant medical expenses and co-pays. She is being treated at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.
For more information, please contact jon.sakoda@gmail.com
