Silken Twine’s Impact on Patient Families

“I have a family whose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were reduced because the mother returned to work, which resulted in food insecurity for the family. Silken Twine stepped in and provided a generous grocery store gift card so that this family could breathe a little easier for the month, knowing they would have enough food to eat while their daughter continued her cancer treatment.”

“I have a few patients who have had to get specialized radioactive plaques temporarily implanted onto their eye to provide localized tumor control. Since these patients have active radiation in their bodies, they must stay in their rooms at specific local hotels for a few days until the plaque is removed. Financially, these hotels are out of reach for many of these families. I have leaned on Silken Twine to pay for their stays. Without this funding, these patients would not have been able to receive this vision and lifesaving treatment.”

“Silken Twine has, on multiple occasions, been a crucial resource for families without their own transportation to get to CHOP for lifesaving treatment. I have a few families with parents who do not drive due to having visual impairments caused by their own retinoblastoma as a child. When Medicaid transportation is either not an option or much too heavy a burden for these families, I have asked Silken Twine for a ride share gift card to ensure that patients can get the care they need. Silken Twine is an integral part of these patients’ care.”

“As a social worker, I especially appreciate how quickly Ravi responds to requests—he makes the process so seamless and streamlined. Silken Twine is a reliable and efficient resource that can help me solve potentially major problems very quickly. Thank you so much for your support!”

“When a child is diagnosed with cancer, there are many logistical factors to consider: how will their parent(s) get them to appointments, will their parent(s) have to take off time from work, what new expenses will be associated with treatment, and these often lead to financial stress for a family. Silken Twine has been so helpful in supporting our families during such a difficult time so that parents can focus on getting their kids’ the life-saving treatment they need. Here are two examples:

• Transportation is often a barrier to care for our families. Some families don’t have access to a car or a parent with a license, and getting to appointments becomes difficult. Some of our families are eligible for medical transportation through their insurance. However, this service is not always reliable because medical transportation companies have restrictions on how many days’ notice they need to arrange a reservation, what times they can pick up and drop off at CHOP, and some counties even limit which days of the week they provide services. Silken Twine providing ride share e-gift cards to our families has allowed parents to get their kids to appointments for both scheduled chemotherapy and unplanned emergencies like a fever when they wouldn’t have any other way.
• There is also a large financial toll that cancer treatment can have on a family, whether due to loss of income from a parent having to miss work or the added expenses of gas for travel, medications, medical bills, special foods, etc. Silken Twine providing grocery store gift cards to families has ensured that families can buy food and household supplies during treatment or reallocate money they would usually spend on groceries for other household bills.

I can’t say enough good things about my work with Silken Twine! Whether it’s needing ride share funds or grocery store gifts cards, Silken Twine is always so reliable and quick with their assistance.”