Brotherly Love: Helping With Modest Needs
By Ukee Washington
ARDMORE, Pa. (CBS) -- Small donations from a lot of people can change a life. That's what a local cancer patient saw when she reached out for help.
Last summer, Christina Meehan of Ardmore knew something was wrong. She had a swollen breast and pain in her arm.
"Never in a million years at 31 do you think someone is going to tell you that you have stage 4 cancer," Christina said.
The diagnosis was inflammatory breast cancer. Treatment started immediately: chemotherapy, mastectomy, radiation.
Throughout her fight, Christina was able to keep her office job in the historic halls of Rosemont College. She is insured, but there were still a lot of bills, and she fell behind on rent.
"Most of my stuff was covered, but the co-pays are coming in, the medicine co-pays are coming in," she explained.
Online, Christina found Modest Needs, a non-profit that helps people like her out of a temporary financial bind.
"Very often folks are working paycheck to paycheck, don't have a lot of savings," Sonya Barash of Modest Needs said.
Christina wrote, "I worry that if I cannot pay my late rent, I will lose my home and have to move in with family."
Christina emailed her story to Modest Needs, which posted it to their crowdfunding website. Donors pick a person facing a bill like vehicle repossession, a mortgage payment, a prescription for glasses.
"People can give as much as they can afford to give -- five, ten, fifteen, twenty dollars," Sonya said.
Within just a few weeks, more than 20 people had donated to Christina, raising a grant of more than $900.
"So my spirits were immediately lifted knowing, okay, the landlord's going to get his full check," Christina said.
Christina was so grateful that she donated a little of her own money to other families through Modest Needs.
"I think they're wonderful," she said. "I would love to help them out as much as I can."
Modest Needs vets each story and sends the checks directly to the creditor.
For more information, visit: www.modestneeds.org.