Non-Profit Brings Holiday Cheer to 3 Chicago Area Families

When a local nurse made a few phone calls to help the family of her recently-diagnosed cancer patient have a Merry Christmas, she never dreamed it would turn into a full-blown non-profit organization.

In 2003 nurse Gerri Neylon’s 26-year old patient who was diagnosed with lung cancer, found out she had the disease just before Christmas and that it had spread to her brain.

“That day I went home from work and called friends. Within a matter of days, we had a van full of stuff,” said Neylon. She thought to herself, “next year, I’m going to do this for somebody else.”

Soon after, Christmas Without Cancer was born. Run out of Neylon’s Evergreen Park home, the organization accepts donations throughout the year in the form of gift cards from convenience stores, grocery stores, miscellaneous gifts and monetary donations. “This is all done around my kitchen table. We have no office, no overhead. Every nickel we get goes to the families,” said Neylon.

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Around Christmas, the organization fulfills the wish list of families who live in the Chicago area. To date, Christmas Without Cancer has sponsored about 15 families, however Neylon said they don’t restrict giving to the holiday season. “If I see somebody who needs help throughout the year, we’ll give them help.”

The organization has helped families with things ranging from simple toiletries and grocery shopping, to Christmas gifts and paying mortgages.

This year, Christmas Without Cancer is sponsoring three families:

The Moonan Family of Evergreen Park

The mother of four was diagnosed with melanoma in 2010. She’s had 12 hospitalizations, nearly losing her life and cannot work. “Her husband is not sure whether or not he’ll be employed after the first of the year, because he’s a construction worker,” said Neylon.

The children go to school in the village. This family spends over $300 per month on gas traveling back and forth to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge. In addition to necessities like gas cards and grocery cards, Neylon said “we’re trying to get them a family weekend getaway,” since the mother gets two weeks off during treatments.

The Egan Family of Beverly

A year and a half ago, the Egans’ 25-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a rare form of head and neck cancer, adenodarcinoma, on the roof of her mouth.

The family had to travel across the country to find a surgeon to remove a tumor after she had her chemotherapy and radiation, said Neylon. “The family spent pretty much all of their money trying to get their daughter to and from.” The Egans have two other children, one in college and one in High School.

Over the summer, the father thought he had a bad cold, but was diagnosed with lung cancer. He is self-employed, but unable to work. “They’re struggling to make mortgage payments, tuition payments, let alone doctors,” said Neylon. The Egans are asking for gas cards and gift certificates to County Fair grocery store in Beverly.

The Slaughter Family of Chicago

When this 27-year-old wife was pregnant with her third child, she found some irregularities in her breast and was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was 26 years old at the time. “Her husband lost his job with Comcast right when all of this happened, their car broke down and she was taking public transportation to Christ Hospital,” said Neylon. Kind neighbors would sometimes take the Slaughters back and forth to the hospital.

Christmas Without Cancer gave them a $300 gift card to Walmart in the middle of treatment “to tie them over just for a little while,” because they were struggling so much financially. The Slaughters are asking for gift cards to Walmart, Target, Ultra Foods and a car seat for the baby. Mrs. Slaughter is a medical assistant who spends her time volunteering with the American Cancer Society and her church.

“I’ve never seen anybody like her,” said Neylon. “She has a great attitude that things are going to work out.”

Working long hours for a nonprofit organization can be tough, but Neylon said “It’s the look on the people’s faces” that motivates her to keep going. “It gives them hope and lets them know that people really care.” In turn, Neylon said the families who Christmas Without Cancer helps throughout the years, pay it forward by helping bring in donations for other families.

Neylon said she looks forward to this all year long and is happy to help meet the needs of a few families.  “My Christmas is the day we make those deliveries,” she said.

Those wishing to donate to Christmas Without Cancer may contact Gerri Neylon at at christmaswithoutcancer@yahoo.com or call at 708-642-5928.