By Kimberly Meneke –

My name is Kimberly Meneke and I am a wife, mother, sister, daughter, aunt, friend……a breast cancer Survivor. I am also a Realtor with Coldwell Banker United, Realtors and have been helping others with their real estate needs since 2004. The love, prayers and support of my family, friends and co-workers has given me the inspiration and strength to kick cancer’s butt!

Inspired by my own journey with breast cancer, my goal is to help others with cancer treatments and living expenses so they can keep their focus on healing.

My world stopped on Jun 17, 2010…..I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC), ER+,HER2+ breast cancer. When I was being tested, I thought the results would be negative….talking about being on an emotional roller coaster. This was a very scary, scary time for me and my family. I was trying to be very strong and positive, but I still had moments when I cried. I was so scared and I worried about my son – my angel, who was 8 yrs old at the time.

Being the first in my family to have cancer and feeling so helpless, I was scrambling to find doctors, medicine, and do the right thing, anything to make it go away. To my knowledge at the time, there was not a manual in what direction to go, who to call first, what doctor to see first, or what to do first or next. I didn’t have the luxury of “time” to research……I was scrambling to save my life! I couldn’t eat or sleep and I cried a lot….All I could think of is “I don’t want to die”.

Kimberly Meneke

Finally, on my way and in the good hands of my general surgeon, plastic surgeon, and oncologist and armed with a treatment plan of 6 Chemo treatments, 18 Herceptin treatments, double mastectomy and reconstruction surgery, I am doing awesome and have met the most incredible people along my journey. During my journey, I have talked to some who didn’t have insurance or the money and struggling to get financial help. And, there are so many others in the same position. I made a call for a friend to try and find some help financially with her treatments and I ran into a dead end. I remember asking the person on the phone “what do people do that don’t have the money for treatments; you can’t just let them die?”

Already feeling scared and helpless, think about how scared and helpless they must feel not having the money for their treatments. Since, I knew I wanted to help these people and other people that I haven’t met. I had to figure out how can I help I’m just one person, I’m not a millionaire and I have to work too.

Finally, I thought of a way that I can help financially and to provide a place to find cancer resources which is how www.RibbonsOfHopeRealty.com was created. I make a donation on your behalf* to PAF Co-Pay Relief Program – which provides assistance with treatments and The Pink Fund – which helps with living expenses while being treated for breast cancer. After speaking with Molly McDonald, breast cancer survivor and founder of The Pink Fund, www.RibbonsOfHopeRealty.com (me) has joined forces with The Pink Fund to bring help to your state!

I started researching and found that there are various grants available to help with cancer treatments and living expenses. The dollar amounts may vary, but they all have to be continually funded by donations or fundraisers in order to keep helping others. There are still so many more organizations to be noted, so I am posting them on my website as I discover them in hopes of making someone else’s journey a little easier.

Now, my next thought was “how can I really make an impact and not limit help to one city or state?” The light came on……”I can help anyone with their real estate needs anywhere in the world!” As a Referring Market Specialist and with our vast network of brokers, I refer you to a professional real estate agent in your area. Which means I can help more people with treatments and living expenses by helping more people with their real estate needs. I can’t do this without you….I can only help others with your help! So please, if you know someone looking to buy or sell real estate, refer them to me. I will help them locate a professional real estate agent in their area….worldwide! Together we can help others!

Please contact me if you would like help with your fundraising event or know of resources that offer assistance with treatments, medicine, living expenses and support, so I may post the information to share with others in need.

I am Kimberly Meneke, wife, mother, sister, daughter, aunt, friend…..AND Survivor!

Kimberly Meneke, Realtor
kimberly@RibbonsOfHopeRealty.com
http://www.ribbonsofhoperealty.com/

*All donations are paid after closing, funding and my receipt of a commission/referral fee for the real estate transaction, which is paid by the agent receiving the referral.