How It all began 

 

Our founder, Deanna Wicklund, was diagnosed with ALL leukemia on August 21, 2013. Her leukemia was so advanced that she needed to leave immediately for treatment at Dana Farber/Brigham Women’s in Boston. She left behind her four children while primarily in-patient receiving chemo and eventually her stem-cell transplant in Nov. 2013 from a Be The Match donor. Ultimately, returning home before Christmas to rebuild her body and immune system. A diagnosis like this causes a tremendous strain on resources and people. Without the support of her husband, his parents, and our community, the care of their family would not have been possible.

 

While in treatment, our community gathered a Light the Night team. There began the origins of what is now the 

Wicklund Warriors. This is how we pay it forward.

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Wicklund Warriors is a 501c3 charity serving families in Albany, Columbia, Greene, Fulton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, and Washington counties battling blood cancers. We work directly with social workers in hospitals and cancer centers to identify clinically diagnosed Capital Region patients facing financial difficulty. 

 

How We Help

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Through our annual fundraising efforts, we can provide financial and other assistance to our applicants. All our applicants are at or below 500% of Federal Poverty Guidelines. Our assistance comes in many forms that we tailor to each family's needs. We strive to engage with each applicant so we can thoroughly learn their story and share it with our followers. To keep up these engagements, we began the Bad Blood Club of fellow survivors. We want to be part of your journey. "No one fights alone"! We are riding right alongside you!

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