MLC Cancer Foundation · Est. 2009 · 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
16+
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. A year later, after her own diagnosis, she founded MLC around the kind of practical, immediate help her mother would have wanted to give.
Sixteen 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. 2009 - 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
Story
Story - Jul 2025
"I never expected anyone to pay my groceries." A patient story.
How a one-page application changed six months of Stephanie's treatment.
Article
Press - Sep 2025
Local foundation marks 16 years of patient assistance
A profile of MLC's growth from one family's grief to a sixteen-year mission.
Announcement
Update - Aug 2025
Cancer support expands with regional partnership
A new referral pipeline gets patients to assistance faster.
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.