MLC Cancer Foundation · Est. 2008 · Martinsville, VA
Before, during and after cancer, MLC is here.
We help people lower their risk and catch cancer early through nutrition programs, genetic-risk testing and education. We help pay the bills when a diagnosis comes. And we stay with families after treatment ends.
The ribbon path
Before
Prevent it, or catch it early
Nutrition · Genetic testing · Education
During
Get through treatment
Co-pays · Childcare · Groceries
After
Live well, stay connected
Continued help · Survivor community
How we help
One foundation for every stage of cancer.
Most people come to MLC at one of three moments. Find yours below.
3 · After
Live well, stay connected
Finishing treatment isn't the end of the road. We stay close.
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Help continues for up to six months after treatment ends
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A survivor community that gathers every year at A Pink Event
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Stories and updates from families who've walked this path
"Don't give up. Every day is worth it."
Hashmat Effendi, cancer survivor
2 · During
Get through treatment
Insurance covers the chemo. We help with the bills that pile up around it.
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Co-pays and medical bills: avg $420 / family
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Childcare during treatment: avg $280 / week
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Groceries and household: avg $340 / month
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Wigs, prosthetics and other costs: avg $220 / visit
Any cancer, any stage, anywhere in the U.S. One short, private application. We usually reply within a week.
1 · Before
Prevent it, or catch it early
Cancer is easiest to treat when it's found early. We help you know your risk and lower it.
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Nutrition and lifestyle programs, including cooking demos and take-home recipes
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Genetic-risk testing and education, with a family health tree to start the conversation
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Free health screenings at A Pink Event on Oct 24: glucose, A1C, blood pressure, BMI and mental health
Screenings: Oct 24 only
18+
Years helping families
$30K+
Raised at A Pink Event 2025
100%
Of donations go to the people we serve
Any
Cancer type, any stage, nationwide
Our story
We started where a mother left off.
Pat Via lost her mother, Myrtle Lee Carter, in 2007. Around a year or so later, after her own diagnosis, she founded MLC around the kind of practical, immediate help her mother would have wanted to give.
Eighteen years later, Pat is still standing, and so is the foundation. The work has grown from paying bills to helping people catch cancer early, but it still happens the same way: one family at a time.
Est. 2008 - Founder
Pat Via
Coming up
Upcoming MLC events
Coming up · A Pink Event 2026
Know Your CAN. Saturday, October 24
3:00 PM · West Piedmont Higher Education Center, Martinsville · Free admission, plus free health screenings that day only
Coming up · A Pink Event 2026
Know Your CAN. Saturday, October 24
3:00 PM · West Piedmont Higher Education Center, Martinsville · Free admission, plus free health screenings that day only
Coming up · A Pink Event 2026
Know Your CAN. Saturday, October 24
3:00 PM · West Piedmont Higher Education Center, Martinsville · Free admission, plus free health screenings that day only
WDBJ7
TV & Video · Oct 2023
MLC Cancer Foundation hosts Pink Event
Pat and Telesa Via sit down with WDBJ7's Here @ Home to talk about how the foundation began and why the Pink Event matters.
Martinsville Bulletin
Events · Oct 2022
Annual Pink Event slated for Saturday; raises awareness of cancer and funds for patients
A preview of the foundation's annual Pink Event, raising awareness and funds for local cancer patients.
Invitae
Stories · Sep 2021
Telesa's story: From disempowerment to empowerment
Telesa Via on growing up with generational cancer, genetic testing, and taking charge of her own health.
News & in the media
Recent coverage and updates.
Give
Every dollar reaches a person, not an overhead line.
100% of donations go to the people we serve, from genetic testing to a family's co-pay. Grants and volunteers cover our operating costs.
$100 covers a week of childcare during chemo.
Stay close to the work
A short letter, sent quarterly.
Patient stories, event updates, and a transparent look at how every dollar is spent. No fundraising spam. Unsubscribe in one click.