Vickie’s Angel Foundation has recently offered support to Amanda Masarik, a 38-year-old Harrisburg woman who has been fighting cancer and related ailments over the last three years.
Masarik first was diagnosed with cervical cancer after suffering a stroke in 2018. She said she was later diagnosed with endometriosis — which can cause severe abdominal pain — and later endometrial cancer. It was this last diagnosis that led to additional chemotherapy treatments that began in January of this year.
Although the long battle with cancer has understandably been upsetting and forced Masarik to stop working, she said she’s remained positive. She said what she’s been through in recent years is “nothing she couldn’t handle.”
“It made me a little stir crazy being home all the time and at the hospital,” Masarik said of her experience in recent months. “But I never lost hope. I have a lot of support and a lot of good people in my circle.”
That support includes the people at Vickie’s Angel Foundation, which has helped Masarik with her rent payments at her apartment in midtown Harrisburg. She said she’s incredibly grateful that the support from the foundation has allowed her to remain in a home that she loves.
She also noted that her regular interactions with the people at Vickie’s Angel Foundation have kept her positive. That was an added bonus after her social worker at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center connected her with the foundation.
“They’ve been a big help — a big, big help,” Masarik said. “Being off all this time, I went through all my savings. I was down to no money. They were really a blessing. I really needed the help.”
As for the future, Masarik said that she recently completed her chemotherapy treatments and hopes to be well enough to return to work at the Midtown Tavern, the popular watering hole not far from her home where she has worked for many years. She said she’s been in contact recently with her boss to discuss returning to her job.
In the meantime, she has leaned on family and friends for help. On a recent weeknight, she received a surprise dinner visit from some family members, who brought her some chicken, mashed potatoes and strawberry dumplings.
Masarik also said she hopes to participate later this year in the 19th annual Vickie’s Angel Walk, a fundraising event that takes places every October for Vickie’s Angel Foundation.
“I do look forward to October for the big walk. I have a handful of people coming with me, the people who stood by me,” Masarik said. “They’ve been my friends for years. We’re ready.”
About Us: Vickie's Angel Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with a mission of helping families fighting cancer who cannot pay their bills because of going through cancer treatment. The foundation’s goal is to take away the financial worry from the family, providing a temporary bridge that allows them to focus entirely on beating this disease. Since 2003, Vickie’s Angel Foundation has raised over $3.8 million and helped more than 2,000 families. Importantly, 100% of all online donations, and monies received at our walk; along with 100% of net proceeds from sponsored events, go directly to those in need.