When people hear the words “childhood cancer,” the first thought is usually about the child, treatments, hospital visits, and long hours in the care of doctors and nurses. But behind every young patient is a family fighting a quieter, less visible battle. That battle comes in the form of travel expenses, lost wages, meals away from home, housing, and a thousand other daily costs that don’t show up on hospital bills. These hidden burdens weigh heavily on families already carrying the heartbreak of a diagnosis.
At the Strongman Luca James Foundation, we see this reality firsthand. We know that cancer doesn’t just attack the body, it upends entire households, threatening financial stability, family routines, and mental health. That’s why local support is so critical.
The Financial Reality Few See
The numbers tell a staggering story. Studies from the American Childhood Cancer Organization estimate that families can face $10,000 to $40,000 in out-of-pocket costs every year related to treatment. For a middle-class family already living close to their means, that can be devastating.
It isn’t just about medical bills. Even with insurance, many families see their savings drained in months. Deductibles and co-pays stack on top of normal household expenses, while income often shrinks as parents step away from work. What might look like a two-income household on paper can quickly become a one-income or no-income home stretched far beyond its limit.
For families in Horry and Georgetown counties, the challenge is even steeper. With specialized pediatric oncology care only available hours away, every trip adds another layer of cost. What begins as a fight against disease quickly becomes a fight to stay financially afloat.
Travel: More Than Just Gas Money
It’s easy to underestimate the financial toll of travel until you live it. Families in the Grand Strand often make the long drive to Charleston, Greenville, or Florence multiple times a week. Each trip racks up gas, highway tolls, parking fees, and meals on the road. A single day of travel for treatment can easily cost $75 to $100, a number that doesn’t sound huge until it repeats itself over and over, week after week.
There’s also the wear and tear on vehicles, unexpected maintenance costs, and the strain of long hours behind the wheel. Parents describe leaving home at dawn, driving for hours, sitting through a full day of treatments, and then facing the same long drive back, only to repeat it days later. The financial and physical exhaustion of that routine is relentless.
Housing Away From Home
When treatments stretch over consecutive days, or when a child must be admitted for extended care, families often face the added challenge of housing. Hotels, short-term rentals, or hospital-affiliated lodgings quickly become part of the routine. Even at discounted rates, these stays add up fast. Some families spend $1,500 a month or more just to keep a roof over their heads while their child is in the hospital.
Organizations like Ronald McDonald House offer relief, but space is limited and not always located close enough to the hospital. Parents often find themselves juggling logistics at the worst possible time, figuring out where to sleep while trying to hold their child’s hand through treatment. It’s a layer of stress few outsiders ever see, but it shapes every decision a family makes.
Food and Daily Expenses
Then there’s the reality of feeding a family on the road. Even the most budget-conscious parents can’t avoid the costs of hospital cafeterias, fast food stops, and groceries bought far from home. For a family of four, the expense of eating away from home during treatment trips can run $40–$60 a day or more. Over the course of months or years of treatment, that number climbs into the thousands, money that was never part of the family’s budget.
And while parents may try to pack meals or snacks, hospital schedules are unpredictable. A treatment that runs long, an unexpected test, or a sudden emergency can mean staying at the hospital late into the evening with no choice but to buy food on-site. These daily realities chip away at savings in a way that feels endless.
Lost Wages and Career Strain
Perhaps the most devastating financial blow comes from lost income. Parents often must choose between being at work and being at their child’s bedside, a choice no family should ever have to make. Some employers allow flexibility, but many do not. The result is lost wages, stalled careers, and in some cases, the complete loss of a job.
For single-income households, or those already stretched thin, the effect can be immediate and devastating. Bills pile up. Mortgage payments are missed. Credit card debt skyrockets. And while families would do anything for their child, the financial fallout often lingers long after treatment ends.
The Emotional and Social Costs
Beyond the dollars and cents, there’s the emotional cost of a life turned upside down. Siblings feel the absence of parents who spend long days and nights in the hospital. Parents juggle guilt, exhaustion, and worry. Family routines are disrupted, milestones are missed, and the simple joys of everyday life, soccer games, family dinners, birthday parties, are replaced with waiting rooms and medical charts.
The emotional toll doesn’t end with the final treatment. Even after remission, many families carry the trauma of those years, the financial scars, the stress on marriages and relationships, the lingering anxiety that life could change again with one test result.
Why Insurance and Aid Aren’t Enough
Many assume insurance or government assistance fills the gap. The truth is far different. Insurance covers medical care, but not the gas it takes to get there, the hotel bill during treatment, the groceries bought on the road, or the utility bill waiting at home. Assistance programs exist, but they’re often slow, overly complex, or limited by strict eligibility requirements.
This leaves families with impossible choices: Do we pay the mortgage or the gas bill to get to treatment? Do we buy groceries or fill the prescription that isn’t fully covered? These are the questions no parent should have to ask, yet they are part of daily life for families fighting childhood cancer.
Where Local Support Makes the Difference
This is why local organizations matter. The Strongman Luca James Foundation exists to meet those exact needs, the ones insurance ignores and government programs overlook. Covering a utility bill keeps the lights on. Helping with gas ensures no appointment is missed. Providing grocery cards keeps families fed when days at the hospital leave no time to cook.
But more than that, local support reminds families that they are not fighting alone. A donation isn’t just financial relief, it’s a message of solidarity. It’s neighbors standing beside neighbors, a community saying, we see you, we support you, and we are with you in this fight.
How You Can Help
Every contribution makes a difference. Purchasing a Team Ava shirt, donating to a fundraiser, or simply sharing the foundation’s mission spreads hope in tangible ways. When families don’t have to worry about bills, travel, or meals, they can focus on what matters most: giving their child every chance to heal.
Together, we can lighten the heavy load families carry. Together, we can stand strong against childhood cancer.