Thanks to the 20 years of support from our community, we are celebrating the accomplishments of the women we serve… like that of Cathy.

Cathy Bjornsgaard, Breast Cancer Survivor, of Lynnwood was diagnosed with Stage 3-C breast cancer in April of 2010, and she felt that she had completely hit rock bottom. After losing her job, raising three children as a single mother, caring for her mother (who had recently passed away), enduring a car accident and having to pay for the costs associated with the accident, Cathy was spent – emotionally, physically, financially and spiritually. The last thing she could endure was a cancer diagnosis.

As she was going through chemotherapy, her social worker at Evergreen Cancer Center told her about WWIN.

“I was totally humbled and could not believe that there was a group out there to help women like me,” said Bjornsgaard. “I’m 64, and I have much to be grateful for, but WWIN took gratitude to a whole deeper level for me.”

Thanks to WWIN, Cathy was able to pay all of her medical expenses and insurance premiums for a year. By not having to worry about covering the full expenses, Cathy was able to focus on her health and getting through the surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments.  Because chemotherapy impacts the brain, many patients are unable to tolerate the high stimulation of television or reading, so Cathy chose comfort in music.   She turned to music as a great way to relax during times that were particularly difficult for her. “Music saved me,” said Bjornsgaard. Now, Cathy wants to help others by finding ways to provide headphones and CDs to other women who are enduring painful treatments as well as to find ways to bring comfort, good energy and beauty to these women.

“A friend planted pots of flowers for me and the hummingbirds that came to them as well as the flowers were a wonderful uplifting form of beauty and energy to focus on to nurture my soul and ease my pain,” said Bjornsgaard.

Now, Cathy is taking the time to take care of herself. “For the first time in my life I can wake up and say I can take care of myself.” She just received her fourth clean check-up and is spending time with her seven grandchildren after missing many births and birthday parties during her treatment and is looking for ways to give back and to help others in need.

“WWIN means so much to me because I often think about how many more women are out there who also need help, and how fortunate I was to be selected. I feel like there must be so many more women in need who maybe don’t have a family or the support that I had,” said Bjornsgaard.

WWIN grants changing lives….

Listen to Barbara, Judy, and Cindy tell their stories.

More WWIN grantee stories……

Marilyn, a former education grantee, earned her BA in psychology with WWIN’s financial assistance. She is now working full time for the Department of Defense as a new parent support home visitor. She works with local counselors, Bremerton Navy Hospital and other community resources to help prevent child abuse and to support families with soldiers on active duty. She said of the families she serves, “They are having a tough time in this war and I am honored to assist them.”

Pam was a survivor of childhood sexual abuse including incest. She suffered from PTSD (Posttraumatic Stress Disorder) and OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). Pam said she wanted to be able to have a long-term relationship; the longest romantic relationship she had ever had was four months. She also wanted to go back to school to get her masters degree. She tried to go in the past but felt too overwhelmed and quit. Since receiving a WWIN counseling grant, Pam told WWIN she has been in a relationship for over a year and also started graduate school. She expressed her appreciation to WWIN in a thank you note in which she wrote, “I was able to move through a lot of ‘stuff’ that kept me from living a more satisfying life. I think I’ve grown a lot! Thank you, and may you keep honoring women in need.”

Paulette escaped an abusive relationship 15 years ago, but not before he knocked out most of her upper teeth. Paulette had a partial denture, but it was destroyed in a car accident last year. Halfway through her junior year in the Human Services program at Western Washington University, Paulette lacked the resources to replace the denture. It was also discouraging to pursue jobs and internships with no front teeth: “When you work with people, it’s impossible to earn their trust when you can’t give them a big smile!” With the help of WWIN’s Physical/Dental/Hearing/Vision program, Paulette is on her way to a big smile and a great career.

Tina was a 37-year-old married woman with two young girls when she received WWIN’s Insurance Premium Assistance grant. She said, “I am 6 months pregnant and I lost my job in November. My pregnancy is considered high risk, so I need extra care.” Tina’s insurance premiums were $444.41 per month. To help pay for their most basic expenses, she and her husband had cashed in their IRA of $6,000 and taken out a home equity loan. Tina’s husband had been laid off from Boeing after 14 years and decided to go back to school. He was about to graduate from school to be a radiology technician, but for the time being they could barely make ends meet. Tina is now able to be a stay-at-home mom and her husband has graduated from school.