Portland nonprofit tackles the hard costs of cancer

By Erin Codazzi
The Portland Upside
September 2009

Photo by Amanda Peterson

Paul Grock celebrates his recovery and thanks Komak for their assistance in easing his financial burden after a year of cancer treatments.

Paul Grock wasn’t worried about the bump on his cheek. Someone must have clocked him on the basketball court. Or maybe it was a bug bite that would soon shrink, he thought. At the age of 26, he’d been healthy all his life and couldn’t be bothered to visit the doctor.

But the bump didn’t subside. Paul was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in his jaw. That was October 2007, a month that marked not only the beginning of his cancer treatment but also his introduction to Komak, the Portland-based nonprofit.

A team of doctors acted quickly, starting with three months of intensive chemotherapy to shrink the tumor, followed by fifteen hours of surgery to remove the tumor and reconstruct his jaw. Paul spent the next eight months undergoing radiation treatments, more cycles of chemotherapy and physical therapy. He lost thirty pounds and all his hair, but his spirits were bright.

During the long year of treatment Paul’s employer reassured him that they would do what they could to support him. They let him work when he was up to it, yet he was barely able to work part-time and his bills were compounding. That’s when Komak stepped in to help.

Bridging the gap

Komak is a Persian word, which means help, aid or assistance to one in need, sickness, pain or distress. The definition lays the foundation for Komak’s mission: to help low-to-middle-income working people who need financial assistance, primarily because cancer has disrupted their lives. Whether someone has had to stop working because of chemotherapy treatments or to take care of an immediate family member with cancer, Komak focuses on seeing them through until they can get back on their feet.

Co-founder Dr. Katrenka Rember explains, “Low-to-middle-income working people and their families are truly an underserved population when it comes to prolonged illnesses like cancer. Those who are very poor or disabled often have medical coverage. Those who are wealthy can manage.”

Komak helps those caught in the middle.

“Our hope is that they not only survive their cancer, but that they can keep their home, family and financial status intact,” continues Katrenka.

She has first-hand experience with the financial toll cancer can take. At the age of thirty-nine, her fiancé was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer and given months to live. Less than a year later, Katrenka was also diagnosed with colon cancer. While they both had good jobs, good employers, and health and disability insurance, they could not have managed without an extensive support network.

Honoring her fiancé’s final wishes, after her recovery Katrenka co-founded the organization along with Merle and Nasi Greenstein. As a volunteer organization with little overhead, all donations are channeled directly to Komak’s clients, a statistic supporters like Sam Naito appreciate.

“Knowing that every dollar I give to Komak goes directly to someone in need, in Portland, makes a big difference,” Sam says.

To date, Komak has helped twenty individuals and families by assisting with medical bills and basic living expenses.

According to Merle, “We cap our assistance at $5,000. That may not sound like a lot, but in most cases it’s more than enough to help people make it through some tough times.”

Most applicants are referred to Komak through a network of social workers in area hospitals. After an initial screening, board members visit applicants to assess the amount of the financial gap between their incomes and expenses.

“We look at the bigger picture, seeing if there are other ways they can reduce expenses before we determine what financial assistance they really need,” explains Merle. “These are hard-working people who were living within their means before cancer struck. If we can help them maintain their quality of life and dignity while they heal, we’re fulfilling our mission.”

Making a difference

“I wish we could say there wasn’t a need for this type of assistance,” says Katrenka. “But there is. Too many hardworking Americans are forced to choose between paying for rent and paying for cancer treatments. When we can help someone like Paul, we know we’re doing the right thing.”

During his illness Paul’s income was cut in half, and there were months when he had no income at all. As his bills mounted, he also had to make Cobra payments to continue his health insurance. Komak covered two month’s of Paul’s living expenses and worked with some of his medical providers to reduce their bills.

“Komak did more for me than I ever could have hoped for or expected,” comments Paul. “If it weren’t for them, I would be in a lot more debt.”

Today, Paul says his life is back to normal. He feels great, is playing basketball three times a week and working full-time again.
“Besides getting cancer, everything went as well as it could,” chimes Paul. “I got super lucky finding such a great team of doctors. And I got really lucky finding Komak.”

He was especially pleased that his doctors let him have the 3-D model they built of his skull.

“It’s bright pink and an exact replica of my skull, down to the millimeter,” he says. “I put lights in it and used it for a Halloween prop last year. It’s a pretty cool perk, even if it did cost $81,000.”
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Komak is an Oregon-licensed, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. To learn more, make a donation or get involved, visit their website at www.KomakCares.org

Erin Codazzi is a freelance writer with a penchant for positive news and black licorice. She lives in Portland and can be reached at erin@erincodazzi.com