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Michelle Jenson had never heard of the Children’s Cancer Fund of New Mexico—until her son Tyler was diagnosed with a tumor in his neck.
Jenson, an associate broker with Simply Real Estate in Albuquerque, N.M., says Tyler, who was a prominent high school athlete when he was diagnosed in 2018, seemed healthy and was showing no major symptoms at the time. But, Jenson adds, athletes often try to conceal injuries or ailments to avoid losing opportunities to compete. So, she thought Tyler was just nursing a wound that had flared up.
She had her son checked out at a local hospital, and cancer was the last diagnosis they expected. Once they got the news, a member of the hospital staff introduced Jenson and her family to the Children’s Cancer Fund of New Mexico, a statewide nonprofit that provides families facing childhood cancer with everything from daily vouchers for meals during treatments to scholarships for kids who are healthy enough to attend school.
Tyler’s diagnosis and treatment happened so quickly that Jenson says she didn’t have enough time or bandwidth to lean into the nonprofit’s services. After Tyler went into remission, Jenson realized just how important the cancer fund’s mission is to provide stability and support to families. She committed to supporting children with cancer in any way she could.
“The relationship progressed from there,” Jenson says. Now a board member, Jenson helps bring publicity to the nonprofit. “They don’t advertise, and even though they help every single child in New Mexico that has cancer, nobody really knows who they are.”
The attention helps raise funds—nearly $1 million a year, Jenson says.
She and a friend also started putting together “chemo bags,” which are similar to a “go bag” for expectant mothers who are in labor. The chemo bags include essentials like acetaminophen, toiletries, a washcloth and towel, as well as comfort items like fuzzy socks, coloring books, colored pencils and blankets. When a child is going through chemo, impromptu hospital visits can happen often, Jenson explains. So, the chemo bags can be a lifeline.
In the beginning, Jenson and her friend were delivering the bags to all area hospitals, but they discovered that the bags weren’t necessarily making it to the families. Sometimes, the bags would get lost, or staff would forget to hand them out. She realized that the Children’s Cancer Fund of New Mexico was the perfect partner for the effort, so she asked the nonprofit if it would distribute the bags instead. “So now, when they meet with the families, they explain their services and they make sure each family gets a bag,” Jenson says.
Jenson also volunteers with Make-A-Wish New Mexico, where she helps with fundraising. She says Tyler is her inspiration for her volunteering efforts. “When he was receiving chemo treatments, Tyler made a comment that when he was in remission, he was going to bring awareness to other athletes to see a doctor if they have pain for any reason because it could be something that requires attention.”
