$1M grant to help cancer patients care for pets

When CancerCare CEO Patricia Goldsmith was undergoing her own treatment, she said it was then that she realized how important a pet can be to a patient’s well-being during the battle. 

Now, a $1 million grant from New Jersey-based Patricia A. O’Callaghan Animal Care Foundation will help support that mission.

The donation, announced Sept. 6, will help CancerCare’s Pet Assistance and Wellness Program offer financial assistance in the short term for people with cancer to offset some of the expenses that come with caring for pets. It will also establish CancerCare’s first endowment fund to help sustain the program. 

“I felt it was so important for CancerCare to create a program to help our clients undergoing cancer treatment continue to care for their pets, who are often their sole form of support at home during their cancer diagnosis and treatment,” Goldsmith said.

The Patricia A. O’Callaghan Animal Care Foundation was established in 2017 by the late Patricia O’Callaghan. It awards grants to support services such as animal rescue, shelter, adoption and general animal care. 

Launched in 2019, CancerCare’s Pet Assistance and Wellness (PAW) Program provides financial assistance, educational materials and support services so those affected by cancer can keep their pets instead of giving them up because of their expenses. 

The recently announced grant is designed to support cancer patients and their pets through 2030 and to seed CancerCare’s first endowment with $500,000.

“Since 2019, the Patricia A. O’Callaghan Animal Care Foundation has believed in and supported CancerCare’s PAW Program’s mission to assist cancer patients in keeping their pets at home,” Goldsmith said. “I am so thankful for the Patricia A. O’Callaghan Foundation’s most recent gift to CancerCare’s PAW Program that will pave the way to sustain the PAW Program for years to come.” 

Eileen Kelly, foundation trustee, added, “When Patricia O’Callaghan established her Animal Care Foundation, her strong desire was to help people and their pets stay together. I can think of no better way to meet this need than to help people undergoing treatment for cancer keep their pet by their side when they need them the most.”