Turning a loss into a positive impact for others is the very spirit that makes our community special. Evansville native, Larry Breivogel lost his battle of prostate cancer in June of 2021. Larry’s wife, Rose was with him every step of the way during his rigorous cancer treatments. After Larry’s passing, Mrs. Breivogel wanted to make a difference in helping others that will go through the same process.
“We were blessed with being able to afford good insurance and Larry’s treatment never cost us anything. From the Benefit of Explanation reports from our insurance company, I saw how costly all of his treatments were. Since his passing, I started thinking about what I could do to help others.”, said Breivogel.
In November of 2022, Rose reached out to the Deaconess Foundation wanting to help other cancer patient families. Specifically, she wanted to create an endowment that could pay out dividends in perpetuity for any diagnosed adult or child oncology patient in need of support of medical incidentals. The funds would be managed by Deaconess oncology staff and case management and could support anything from helping pay for medications to the purchase of a walker.
“I worried about all the people who could not afford insurance or had minimal insurance. They cannot even afford some of the incidentals they need. I wanted to do something to help them by establishing this Fund.”, said Breivogel.
Rose met with Dr. Samer Schuman, Deaconess Medical Director of Cancer Services, to share her ideas on how this fund could support families. “It warms my heart for someone like Rose to have the kindness of thinking about others in such an impactful way. This Fund will boost patients during their darkest of times for generations to come.”
The endowment is named after her family: The Brenner Fund to Support Oncology Patients. A special donation page has been setup so that anyone can make a contribution to increase the funding for cancer patients and their families. To make a gift, visit deaconess.com/give.
The Deaconess Foundation is so grateful for the kindness and spirit shown by Rose Breivogel.