In January of 2009, Jennifer Sandman Pugh, Ball State,
wasn't worried when she went for a mammogram, even though she had found a lump.
Married and the mother of a 7-year-old son, she was just 36 and had no family
history of cancer. The result was devastating. Jen had breast cancer and
needed surgery.
The months that followed were miserable. Chemotherapy took away her energy and her hair, and a rare complication nearly took her life. She spent weeks in the hospital struggling to breathe. During this troubled time, her Tri Delta sister and best friend, Annette Basham, Ball State, was her "rock." Jen said, "Annette had been downsized from her job, but she believes things happen for a reason . . . and her job loss happened so she could be there for me. That is what a sister does."
When recovering, Jen turned to her Tri Delta sisters for help with another problem—the huge stack of bills related to her illness. She applied for and received a Crescent Fund grant from the Tri Delta Foundation.
Today, Jen is cancer-free and doing well. For more information about Crescent Fund and how to make a donation, please visit the Foundation website.
