Today we’d like to introduce you to Anh Nguyen.
Hi Anh, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am the Founder of the Cancer Relief Foundation. Six years ago, I left Vietnam to move to the United States. Growing up with busy parents, my grandmother was my second mother, and leaving her was the hardest part. Before leaving, I promised her to come back to visit in four years, and she promised to wait. Just a year before the promise could come true, blood cancer has forever taken her life away. From half of the world away, I could only see her for the last time through FaceTime. The loss of my grandmother has left an empty feeling in my heart. It gave me a reason to stand by the side of cancer patients and survivors in honor of my deceased grandmother. It wasn’t until the summer of my sophomore year that I gained enough confidence to take action. I realize I can do much more than simply a volunteer. And so, I started my nonprofit charity with the name of Cancer Relief Foundation. My foundation is on a mission to bring the community together to contribute to the fight against cancer while bringing comfort and smiles to the lives suffering from cancer through care packages. Each package is thoughtfully made with love and care, sending with a handwritten encouraging message. I know a small gift can’t take away their pain nor healing it, but I hope the care package will help to bring a sparkle of joy and support to their hard days and remind them that they are not alone on their cancer journey.
Besides, I’m also able to provide financial support by fundraising money for cancer patients in need. So far, I was able to send out over 100 care packages to adults and children battling cancer across the United States. Past January, I raised over $1200 for a 6-year-old pediatric cancer fighter from the Philippines. Knowing that my help might bring comfort to someone’s hard time and that I’m doing what I love are what motivates me to put in every effort I have into this foundation. I don’t hope to change the world, but I just hope to bring some comfort and support to someone’s world through their cancer journey to the best of my ability. My experience as the founder of the Cancer Relief Foundation doesn’t just heal the empty feeling inside my heart from losing my grandma, but it also brings a purpose and a passion for me to work hard every day. Connecting with cancer patients and survivors and seeing the reality of cancer through the foundation’s platform has helped me realize that I am willing to devote the rest of my life to the cause. After graduating from high school, I plan to continue helping the cancer community through my charity’s platform while pursuing a career in biomedical cancer research.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Running a nonprofit foundation is not a smooth road. It’s a responsibility that requires a lot of passion and dedication. As a high school teenager, I started the foundation from scratches. To send the first care packages to cancer patients, I asked for a donation from my family members for Christmas instead of asking for gifts. As my foundation developed, I began receiving donations from people who follow and know of my charitable mission. However, running a nonprofit charity is filled with ups and downs. There has been a time when my foundation only has 30$ in the fund. And at that moment, I questioned myself whether I can keep going and started to doubt my ability. When I feel like giving up, I stay strong by thinking back to all the support that people had for my foundation’s mission and all the smiles I was able to bring. On top of the financial stress of fundraising enough money, balancing time for school as a high school junior and for the foundation as a founder is a challenge as well. The minute I think of giving up, I think of the moments that my heart was filled with the indescribable joy of seeing the picture of a cancer patient receiving my care package. In the end, being able to give back worth it all.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am currently a junior at John Burroughs High School. I believe that what sets me apart from others isn’t because I’m extraordinary, but it is my passion for helping cancer patients. I am not a special person, but I am just a young girl who hopes to bring a ray of positivity to someone’s world with everything in her ability. I am proud that I follow my heart and do what I love despite all the ups and downs that my journey faced. I am proud of everything that my foundation was able to accomplish. Although they are just small actions in comparison to what the cancer patients have to go through, I’m glad that I was a part of the fight against cancer by their side.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
To help Anh Nguyen and this amazing project, please visit https://linktr.ee/CANCERxRELIEF and contact [email protected] to learn how to support her charity for cancer patients. They can donate money directly or sponsor items to be included in the care packages. And they can also help by following and sharing the mission of my foundation to their friends and family.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://cancerxrelief.wixsite.com/cancerxrelief
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cancerxrelief/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CancerxRelief/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/CANCERxRELIEF
