It was discovered that some patients, once diagnosed with cancer, were forgoing treatment because they couldn’t afford the costs associated with travel to and from the treatment center located in Santa Fe. Despite programs being available to cover medical expenses, it was the non-medical costs that posed the greatest barriers – like the ability to pay for gas or overnight lodging, especially when treatment is administered over a period of days or weeks.

The solution to this heartbreaking problem was to establish an organization with the capacity to identify and mitigate the obstacles to treatment faced by so many northern New Mexico residents. The Cancer Foundation for New Mexico was created specifically to address the overlooked, but critically important, needs of financially-challenged cancer patients and their families.