"You, yes you, have the power to change someone's life. You, yes you, have the power to be part of the solution to the world's problems"

A Reminder About What We're Capable Of

Melinda French Gates recently shared about how Americans donated more than $592 billion to nonprofits. Here's the part that matters most: around two-thirds of that giving came from everyday people contributing from their own pockets. Not foundations. Not corporations. People.

In her LinkedIn post, she reflected on a message she heard again and again from the Ursuline nuns at her Catholic high school in Dallas: "You, yes you, have the power to change someone's life. You, yes you, have the power to be part of the solution to the world's problems."

Those words hit different when you're in the middle of a health crisis. When you're the one searching for answers at midnight. When you're the family member trying to figure out what options exist for someone you love.

What This Means for Wondrlink Foundation

At Wondrlink Foundation, we exist because of the gaps that hundreds of thousands of Americans face every year when navigating a complex and broken cancer care journey. Because only about 7% of adult cancer patients enroll in a treatment trial. Because care inequity stretches from understanding the right tretaments based on your tumor's molecular profile to the zip code you live in.

We believe every patient deserves to know their options. Not just the ones their doctor happens to mention. And we believe this shouldn't depend on whether you can afford a patient advocate, whether you know someone who knows someone, or whether you got lucky with your diagnosis location.

The Part That Humbles Us

Melinda French Gates pointed out something that humbles me too: families with fewer resources often give a greater share of what they have than those with more. They're the ones setting the standard for generosity in this country.

We see this every day. Patients who are going through treatment themselves signing up to write WondrVoices cards for other patients. Family members who just lost someone volunteering to help the next family understand their options.

How You Can Be Part of This

We're a small team doing work that matters so much. Our Patient Navigator Program helps patients understand clinical trials, compassionate use, and expanded access and connects them to real options. Our WondrVoices program delivers handwritten cards and messages to people facing cancer, simple reminders that someone out there cares. Our education resources explain complex healthcare topics in plain language, without the jargon that makes everything harder.

None of this happens without people who believe what those nuns taught Melinda French Gates decades ago. That you, yes you, have the power to change someone's life.

If you've been looking for a place where your support makes a direct difference for patients and families facing life-threatening illness, we'd be honored to have you join us. Every donation, every volunteer hour, every shared post helps someone feel less alone in the hardest fight of their life.

Pope Francis once said that even though there are a lot of ways to go about giving, it "is always right." We believe that too.

References

1. The surprising truth about American generosity - Melinda French Gates, LinkedIn

2. Giving USA - Annual Report on Philanthropy

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