Cancer Survivorship 101: Financial Toxicity in Cancer Survivorship

Financial Toxicity in Cancer Survivorship by Keynote Speaker: Samantha Eisenstein Watson, MBA

Due to the quarantine, we had to cancel our annual in-person Cancer Survivorship 101 event that was planned for June, 2020. Instead, we created a series of video lectures presented here on our website and our YouTube page featuring the speakers that were to be highlighted at the event.

Samantha Eisenstein Watson, MBA
Founder of The Samfund
Managing Director of Stewardship, Expect Miracles Foundation

Samantha Watson, MBA is the Founder of The Samfund and Managing Director of Stewardship at Expect Miracles Foundation. She has been an advocate for young adult cancer survivors for almost two decades, is recognized as a thought leader in the fields of young adult cancer and financial toxicity, and is a current member of ASCO's Cancer Survivorship Committee. She created The Samfund in 2003 to support young adults as they regain their financial health after cancer; to date, The Samfund has awarded close to $2.5 million in grants to individuals across the country. In 2019, The Samfund joined forces with Expect Miracles Foundation though the grants program and commitment to young adults remain entirely intact. Sam is a two-time young adult cancer survivor, diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma in December of 1999, and with secondary Myelodysplastic Syndrome in April of 2001. She underwent an allogeneic bone marrow transplant in August of 2001 and now lives outside of Boston with her husband and two children.

Survivor Journeys has been a non-profit organization since March, 2015. Its origins, began during the year-long medical quarantine Dr Jay Burton lived through after his stem cell transplant for Acute Myeloid Leukemia which ended in late October 2011. Dr Burton’s emotional and social support experiences prompted speaking engagements about cancer survivorship. The community interest generated from these talks, as well as the lack of emotional and support services for cancer survivors in our region, led to the creation of Survivor Journeys. Learn more at survivorourneys.org