Paternostro Cancer Foundation

Since April 2014, we have delivered 950 Harnessing Hope cancer care bags to the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Williamsport.  We are proud of this project, which has been embraced by the local community.

Please take a moment to read below about the genesis of this initiative and what we are doing to provide a little comfort to those newly-diagnosed with cancer in our community:

In March of 2014, we started an initiative through the Team Kass Foundation we called Harnessing Hope bags. The concept for this program came from our Mom and was raised for the first time during our Foundation Board meeting in February 2014. As our Mom recalled sitting next to Kass through numerous chemotherapy treatments, she remembered the items Kass liked to have close by to help with the environment, including snacks, hand cream, mouthwash, wet wipes, etc., each intended to provide a little comfort through the uncomfortable parts of the cancer journey. We also recall writing down moments of laughter, conversations worth noting, information about medications, ideas for the future, etc., and my Mom always had a little notebook handy.

It is in this spirit that twice a year, we collect all of these items and place them in a harnessing hope bag with great care. We include information about our Foundation and what inspired us to do this…our courageous sister Kass who never lost hope throughout her journey! The expectation is that people who are new to this cancer journey may feel a little better, a little lighter, if only for a moment, because Kass’s beautiful light shines briefly in their space. Since April 2014, we have delivered 950 bags to the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Williamsport to be distributed to newly-diagnosed cancer patients.

Below is a picture from a recent delivery in July 2021.

Thank you and God Bless.