Kerry Solmonsen has vivid memories of unopened medical bills piling up on her counter. She was battling cancer and needed to focus on healing, on her mindset, on not spiraling – but her diagnosis came with a host of other challenges as well.
It’s not just the cost of treatment, she said. It’s the cost of items needed post surgery, the cost of food while receiving treatment, the cost to park at a hospital to receive chemotherapy.
“Everything is piled on you,” added Shelly Tinney-Miller, of her own battle with cancer. “You look different, you feel different, you’re just not the same person.”
It’s a burden that people don’t always associate with cancer, but a heavy one. It also inspired Cancer Cartel, a nonprofit organization that provides financial support to those battling cancer – cancer warriors.
“Cancer changed me,” said Katie Tinney-Olson. “It changes everybody who goes through it.”
Coronado is joining the cartel on Oct. 5 through the nonprofit’s first Day of Giving. Fourteen local stores have pledged to give a portion of their sales to the nonprofit, which gives 100% of its proceeds to grants for cancer warriors.
The three women knew after their own battles with cancer that they wanted to give back – it was just a matter of finding the right idea. One day, Solmonsen and Tinney-Olson attended a fundraiser together. As they drove home, they started talking about their own experiences and reveling in how lucky they were.
By the end of the drive, the framework of Cancer Cartel was formed. They wanted their nonprofit to be fun – positivity is crucial, they say. Tinney-Olson called her sister, Tinney-Miller, who had also been hoping to give back, and that was that.
Their original idea was to have people donate gently used designer fashion items, which Cancer Cartel sells to raise money. That is still at the core of the nonprofit, but the women have also hosted a gala, earned grants, and now, they will launch their Day of Giving.
It’s been five years, and Cancer Cartel is closing in on $1 million in gifts directly to cancer warriors. None of them is taking a salary; it is a labor of love – and of understanding what it is like to receive a diagnosis and fight through it.
In fact, that understanding is part of what makes their gifts so poignant.
The women meet with their Cancer Warriors over Zoom and listen. There are often tears, first of fear, and then of relief when the Cancer Cartel says they can help. But it’s not just the money that people are thankful for. In the midst of their own fights, they get to connect with three women on the other side.
“It’s seeing three people on the other side and knowing there’s hope, and it’s better on the other side,” Solmensen said. “It feels so good to give the money, but it’s also important to give that hope.”
That said, the conversations are emotional. Part of the reason Cancer Cartel works so well, Tinney-Miller says, is because they can support each other through the emotional labor that often hits close to home. If a meeting is particularly hard for one woman, the other two can offer support and encouragement.
And, even though it’s heavy work, they know better than anyone how needed it is.
“When we’re able to offer a cash grant, the pure relief that comes over the faces of people – there aren’t words to describe what that feels like,” Solmensen said. “To see their shoulders come up a little and a smile cross their face, and maybe a tear of relief instead of a tear of stress.”
That, all three women agree, is what keeps them going.
Coronado’s Day of Giving is Oct. 5. Participating retailers are listed below. In addition to shopping, the Cancer Cartel always accepts donations of cash or luxury items at its website. Applications for a Warrior Grant are also available on Cancer Cartel’s website.
Businesses can sign up as participants by emailing [email protected].
Coronado Day of Giving Locations
AR Workshop
Blue Jeans & Bikinis
Coronado Hat Company
Fair Trade Décor
Gelato Paradiso
Geppetto’s Toys
Get Sparked
Lisa’s Boutique Coronado
Miss Match
MJ’s Boutique
Pretty Please Boutique
Sea La Vie
Sweet Souls
The True House
