Christmas Without Cancer
Year-Round Cancer Assistance · About this organization
What you get
Gas, groceries, medical bills, medication, mortgage or rent. The amount isn't published. Ask.
How to start
Fill in the 2026 form and get your provider’s signature and treatment letter. Add identification and required financial documents; send one PDF by email, fax or mail.
Good to know
- For requests above $500, you need income, tax and bank documents.
- Allow at least two to four weeks for review.
The details, as published
A patient or legal guardian may apply for discretionary help with groceries, medication, gas, housing, utilities, vehicle costs, tuition, medical bills, treatment travel, or other household needs while the patient is in active surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. The live 2026 application requires healthcare confirmation and allows checks or gift cards; review takes at least two to four weeks.
What help you may get
Household Bills And Cash Assistance
Year-Round Cancer Assistance — household bills and cash assistance
A patient or legal guardian may apply for discretionary help with groceries, medication, gas, housing, utilities, vehicle costs, tuition, medical bills, treatment travel, or other household needs while the patient is in active surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. The live 2026 application requires healthcare confirmation and allows checks or gift cards; review takes at least two to four weeks.
Amount decided by the program
Can cover
- Gas
- Groceries
- Medical bills
- Medication
- Mortgage or rent
- Other bills considered case by case
- Other household needs
- Past-due car bills
- Past-due mortgage or rent
- Past-due tuition
- Past-due utilities
- Transportation needs
- Treatment travel
- Tuition
- Utilities
- Vehicle expenses
- Visa gift cards for groceries, medication, and/or gas
- The program budget changes monthly. The $500 figure is only the threshold for extra financial documents, not an award maximum.
- No repeat-award rule is published.
Meals And Food
Year-Round Cancer Assistance — meals and food
A patient or legal guardian may apply for discretionary help with groceries, medication, gas, housing, utilities, vehicle costs, tuition, medical bills, treatment travel, or other household needs while the patient is in active surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. The live 2026 application requires healthcare confirmation and allows checks or gift cards; review takes at least two to four weeks.
Amount decided by the program
Can cover
- Gas
- Groceries
- Medical bills
- Medication
- Mortgage or rent
- Other bills considered case by case
- Other household needs
- Past-due car bills
- Past-due mortgage or rent
- Past-due tuition
- Past-due utilities
- Transportation needs
- Treatment travel
- Tuition
- Utilities
- Vehicle expenses
- Visa gift cards for groceries, medication, and/or gas
- The program budget changes monthly. The $500 figure is only the threshold for extra financial documents, not an award maximum.
- No repeat-award rule is published.
Medical And Insurance Costs
Year-Round Cancer Assistance — medical and insurance costs
A patient or legal guardian may apply for discretionary help with groceries, medication, gas, housing, utilities, vehicle costs, tuition, medical bills, treatment travel, or other household needs while the patient is in active surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. The live 2026 application requires healthcare confirmation and allows checks or gift cards; review takes at least two to four weeks.
Amount decided by the program
Can cover
- Gas
- Groceries
- Medical bills
- Medication
- Mortgage or rent
- Other bills considered case by case
- Other household needs
- Past-due car bills
- Past-due mortgage or rent
- Past-due tuition
- Past-due utilities
- Transportation needs
- Treatment travel
- Tuition
- Utilities
- Vehicle expenses
- Visa gift cards for groceries, medication, and/or gas
- The program budget changes monthly. The $500 figure is only the threshold for extra financial documents, not an award maximum.
- No repeat-award rule is published.
Practical Items And Home Help
Year-Round Cancer Assistance — practical items and home help
A patient or legal guardian may apply for discretionary help with groceries, medication, gas, housing, utilities, vehicle costs, tuition, medical bills, treatment travel, or other household needs while the patient is in active surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. The live 2026 application requires healthcare confirmation and allows checks or gift cards; review takes at least two to four weeks.
Amount decided by the program
Can cover
- Gas
- Groceries
- Medical bills
- Medication
- Mortgage or rent
- Other bills considered case by case
- Other household needs
- Past-due car bills
- Past-due mortgage or rent
- Past-due tuition
- Past-due utilities
- Transportation needs
- Treatment travel
- Tuition
- Utilities
- Vehicle expenses
- Visa gift cards for groceries, medication, and/or gas
- The program budget changes monthly. The $500 figure is only the threshold for extra financial documents, not an award maximum.
- No repeat-award rule is published.
School And Learning
Year-Round Cancer Assistance — school and learning
A patient or legal guardian may apply for discretionary help with groceries, medication, gas, housing, utilities, vehicle costs, tuition, medical bills, treatment travel, or other household needs while the patient is in active surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. The live 2026 application requires healthcare confirmation and allows checks or gift cards; review takes at least two to four weeks.
Amount decided by the program
Can cover
- Gas
- Groceries
- Medical bills
- Medication
- Mortgage or rent
- Other bills considered case by case
- Other household needs
- Past-due car bills
- Past-due mortgage or rent
- Past-due tuition
- Past-due utilities
- Transportation needs
- Treatment travel
- Tuition
- Utilities
- Vehicle expenses
- Visa gift cards for groceries, medication, and/or gas
- The program budget changes monthly. The $500 figure is only the threshold for extra financial documents, not an award maximum.
- No repeat-award rule is published.
Travel And Transportation
Year-Round Cancer Assistance — travel and transportation
A patient or legal guardian may apply for discretionary help with groceries, medication, gas, housing, utilities, vehicle costs, tuition, medical bills, treatment travel, or other household needs while the patient is in active surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. The live 2026 application requires healthcare confirmation and allows checks or gift cards; review takes at least two to four weeks.
Amount decided by the program
Can cover
- Gas
- Groceries
- Medical bills
- Medication
- Mortgage or rent
- Other bills considered case by case
- Other household needs
- Past-due car bills
- Past-due mortgage or rent
- Past-due tuition
- Past-due utilities
- Transportation needs
- Treatment travel
- Tuition
- Utilities
- Vehicle expenses
- Visa gift cards for groceries, medication, and/or gas
- The program budget changes monthly. The $500 figure is only the threshold for extra financial documents, not an award maximum.
- No repeat-award rule is published.
- The published monetary limit is shared across the listed benefit components.
Why this may help
Medical And Insurance Costs: Medical bills and medication are among the costs considered, including medication bought with a Visa gift card.
School And Learning: Tuition, including past-due tuition, can be considered alongside household bills.
Check the main eligibility rules
Diagnosis
B-ALL is in scope. A pediatric B-ALL patient in qualifying active treatment can apply when residence, treatment, documentation, and need rules are met.
Age
The program does not publish an age limit.
- The official material uses child, pediatric, or young-patient wording without a numeric age limit.
Treatment status
No specific treatment status is published.
- A provider must verify the patient or diagnosis.
- A healthcare provider must sign the form and supply a letter on facility letterhead confirming active treatment.
Financial need is required.
- No numeric income limit is published in the reviewed official material.
- For a requested financial grant over $500, additional income and bank documents are required.
Where you live and where your child is treated
Where your family lives
You must live in: Within 30 miles of Orland Park, Illinois 60462.
- The patient must reside in Illinois within 30 miles of Orland Park 60462.
Where your child is treated
Treatment must be connected to: Treatment must occur in Illinois within 30 miles of Orland Park 60462..
- Treatment must occur in Illinois within 30 miles of Orland Park 60462.
How to get started
Does a social worker or care team need to start it? No. A required care-team start is not published; the family can use the available route below.
Who can start: Caregiver, Parent Or Guardian, Patient
- Attach Illinois identification and required financial documents.
- Attach provider letter confirming active treatment and required identification.
- Complete patient or guardian and healthcare-provider sections.
- Complete the 2026 application and obtain the provider signature and treatment letter.
- Confirm both residence and treatment are within the current 30-mile Orland Park boundary.
- For requests above $500, attach income, tax, and bank documentation.
- Submit as one PDF by email, fax, or mail.
- Submit one complete file and allow at least two to four weeks.
Ways to apply or ask
- Email · Open form or page · christmaswithoutcancer@gmail.com — Send one complete file by email, fax to 708-658-1536, or mail to the Orland Park address.
- Fax · Open form or page · 708-658-1536 — Fax the complete application and attachments as one packet.
- Mail · Open form or page — Mail the complete application and attachments to 15418 S. Harlem Ave., Orland Park, IL 60462-4333.
Documents to prepare
- For requests over $500: two recent pay stubs and/or benefit statements, two most recent federal returns, and two prior months of bank statements
- Guardianship letters when a legal guardian applies for a ward
- Provider letter on facility letterhead confirming active treatment
- Provider-signed application
- Valid Illinois identification for the patient or parent/guardian
- Visa gift cards may be issued; payment mechanics for bills are not fully published.
Availability and timing
| Program | Active |
|---|---|
| Applications | Open |
| Funding or space | Not Published |
| Application window | Rolling |
| Last checked | Aug 24, 2026 |
- Applications or requests are accepted on an ongoing basis, subject to program capacity.
- Assistance considered one application at a time; later reapplication is not guaranteed.
- Processing takes at least two to four weeks.
- The program states processing takes at least two to four weeks.
- At least two to four weeks.
Limitations and things to confirm
- Assistance is discretionary and depends on a changing monthly budget.
- Both residence and treatment must fall within the 30-mile Orland Park boundary.
- Discretionary; no award guaranteed.
- No numeric income rule, award cap, or universal payment-to-vendor method is published.
- The $500 figure is a documentation threshold, not a cap.
- Treatment must be active.
- What award caps, repeat rules, internal financial criteria, and payee methods currently apply?
Official sources
Program details were last verified Aug 24, 2026. Availability can change, so check the official program before applying.
- 2026 Application — Christmas Without Cancer · checked Aug 27, 2026
- Application — Christmas Without Cancer · checked Aug 27, 2026
- Frequently Asked Questions — Christmas Without Cancer · checked Aug 27, 2026
- Year-Round Cancer Assistance · checked Aug 24, 2026
- Year-Round Cancer Assistance · checked Aug 24, 2026
- Year-Round Cancer Assistance · checked Aug 24, 2026