A milestone anniversary invites reflection, but more importantly, it reminds us why we began.
Twenty-five years ago, four women in our community came together with a simple belief: that no one should face cancer alone. What began as a grassroots effort to help people through one of life’s most difficult moments has grown into something far larger than they could have imagined. Today, Crossroads4Hope is reaching individuals and families in 45 states and seven countries, extending help and hope to people navigating cancer wherever they may be.
While our reach has expanded, the heart of our mission has never changed—it has always been about people, not disease. Over the years, we have listened carefully to what individuals and families facing cancer truly need. Cancer is more than treatment; it brings emotional, practical, and social challenges that affect every part of life. People need support, information, resources, and professionals who can help them live through and beyond cancer with strength and hope.
Crossroads4Hope provides a breadth and depth of support unlike any other organization. Beyond any single program or intervention, we are a lifeline between medical appointments—walking alongside individuals and families for as long as cancer remains a worry in their lives or the lives of those they love. In doing so, Crossroads4Hope is helping redefine cancer care by ensuring that support, connection, and community are recognized as essential—not optional—parts of the cancer journey.
Our commitment to ensuring that no one faces cancer alone has guided how we have grown and evolved as an organization. Our public health outreach now brings supportive cancer care into low-income and marginalized communities where access to these resources has historically been limited. Through our Health Champion Program, trusted community members are equipped with the knowledge and tools to guide others toward care and support.
We have also expanded services for families through Support4Families, bringing child life professionals onto our team to address the needs of children and teens when a parent or loved one is diagnosed with cancer. And through MyGo2Support—our 24/7 direct-to-mobile platform—we are able to reach individuals and caregivers wherever they are, providing guidance, resources, and connection to our professional team when their mental health and wellbeing are at risk and support is needed most.
This year also marks the opening of the Mark Lipschutz Center for Nutrition and Family, an important step in expanding how we support the whole family affected by cancer. The Center allows us to reach even more people with practical education and support that helps individuals and families move through cancer with strength and dignity.
As we mark this milestone, what stands out most is that our vision has never changed. From the very beginning, Crossroads4Hope has been grounded in a simple promise: that no one should face cancer alone.
Over the past twenty-five years, we have worked intentionally to build an organization capable of living up to that promise. Today, whether someone walks through our doors, connects through a community partner, or reaches us virtually from across the country—or across the world—they will find a place of understanding, connection, and hope.
The first twenty-five years proved what is possible when a community believes that no one should face cancer alone. The years ahead will be about ensuring that this level of supportive care is available to every person who needs it.
As we celebrate this anniversary year, we do so with deep gratitude for the community that has made this journey possible—our members, volunteers, partners, donors, and staff. Together, we are ensuring that wherever cancer touches a life, Crossroads4Hope is here—to ensure that you are not alone.
Mission Moments
For Evan and Andrea Berkley, supporting Crossroads4Hope is deeply personal. They know firsthand how critical a community of care can be when facing cancer, how many people lack access—and why raising awareness about the importance of supportive cancer care matters so much. For decades, they have worked to ensure that people facing cancer have access to support, information, resources and professionals fundamental to every cancer journey—so that no one faces cancer alone.
“My father was diagnosed with a brain tumor when I was a freshman in college,” Evan recalled. “During his first surgery, our family had a whole contingent of people there supporting us. Across the waiting room, we noticed a mother and father sitting alone. Their son was a high school football player who had suffered a concussion, and when doctors performed an MRI, they discovered a massive brain tumor.”
Evan remembers the moment vividly.
“We had 50 people in the waiting room supporting us—and they were by themselves,” he said. “How could you go through something like that alone? I remember thinking: we have to help people like that.”
Eighteen months later, Evan’s father passed away. In his memory, Evan started a family foundation dedicated to supporting organizations that provide social and emotional support for people living with cancer and their families. That commitment led him to serve on the board of a cancer support organization and after completing his service there, he continued that work by joining Crossroads4Hope’s Board of Trustees nearly 10 years ago.
For 25 years, Crossroads4Hope has provided free, person-centered supportive cancer care to individuals and families navigating cancer. The organization has helped tens of thousands of people—but there is still much more work to be done and many more people to serve.
“Cancer creates an unimaginable burden on individuals and families, yet far too many still lack access to supportive care during a health crisis,” said Amy Sutton, CEO of Crossroads4Hope. “Fewer than 10 percent of patients report having access to this kind of support—something we are working to change. Everyone impacted by cancer deserves the emotional, social, and practical support needed to live through and beyond cancer with strength and hope.”
“This is an organization where you can make an immediate impact on a wide range of people who are affected by cancer,” Evan said. “We [Crossroads4Hope] can be there from the minute someone is diagnosed and for as long as they need us. Our collective job is to make sure people know that support is available—and that more people can access it.”
Crossroads4Hope was already well known to Andrea through her mother’s deep involvement as one of the organization’s earliest volunteers. “The organization was like her home away from home; she just cared so much about it,” Andrea recalled. “She created a culture in our family where volunteering to help others in the community was expected because she believed that your present is your presence—the things you can offer by just by being there for others.”
Four years ago, with no family history of cancer, Andrea faced her own diagnosis—a rare liposarcoma discovered in her abdomen. In that moment, she experienced firsthand the need for support beyond the medical care. “Cancer knocks the wind out of you. I had so many people checking in on me about things that had nothing to do with my body or my operation, but about how I was—what I was feeling,” Andrea said. “I wasn’t just a tumor; I was a human being.”
Andrea shared that, “There’s still so much that feels like a roll of the dice with cancer,” she added. “For all the research and progress that’s been made—and it has been tremendous—there are still many people for whom those advances may not change their outcome. What will matter is whether they have someone to talk to, whether they have things that help them still feel like a human being—which is why the services Crossroads4Hope provides are so critically important.”
As Evan and Andrea reflected on their nearly decade long involvement in Crossroads4Hope, where the organization has made the most impact in people’s lives and what makes them the proudest.
“Everyone is impacted by cancer; the need is so vast,” Evan said. “Crossroads4Hope fills the gaps in so many areas, which is why we’re so passionate about being involved and helping however we can. I am the proudest of the work the organization has been doing in underserved communities to expose the real needs of people while providing access and hope to people who would otherwise have to face cancer alone. If we support one family that otherwise would have been braving something like this alone, then we've done great work.”
“What I love about this organization is that its focus is beyond medicine, it’s about helping people in the moment.” Andrea said. “My mom passed away last year and I feel proud to continue her legacy—being invested in this organization and the people behind it and its mission, which resonated so much with her. I think she’s smiling.”
Member Spotlight
From Diagnosis to Direction: How Crossroads for Hope Empowered Me to Advocate for My Life and Care
A Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Survivor Story
Shared by Mary, Crossroads4Hope member
When I first heard the words “triple-negative breast cancer,” my world seemed to stop.
The shock was overwhelming. Everything felt random and out of control. Almost immediately, I was confronted with complex medical language and urgent decisions about hospitals, doctors, and treatment plans. It felt as though I was expected to make life-changing choices before I had time to fully understand what was happening.
I was highly motivated to learn, so I researched and read everything I could find. Yet, even with immense effort, the information I found was scattered and often inconsistent. Fear can distort judgment, and motivation alone is not enough. I needed structure, guidance, and validation in order to move forward through cancer with confidence.
Then, I came across Crossroads4Hope. The name resonated with me during that uncertain moment, so I called. From that first conversation, I felt something shift. I enrolled into the organization's MyGo2Support mobile program. That enabled Kyle, one of the oncology social workers, to stay connected with me through weekly follow-up calls that became an anchor during an otherwise overwhelming time.
Crossroads4Hope stepped in not simply as a support group, but as a navigation partner.
Through one-on-one counseling, I had a safe space to process the decisions I was facing. The oncology social workers helped me identify trusted research, access diagnosis-specific education, and organize the information I was gathering so I could think clearly instead of reacting out of fear. What once felt like information overload gradually became informed action.
During chemotherapy and radiation, that support translated into something incredibly important—confidence.
With Crossroads4Hope beside me, I learned how to ask the right questions and how to communicate with my oncologists as a partner in my care rather than a passive patient. I felt prepared to evaluate treatment regimens, seek second opinions, and make decisions about hospitals and physicians.
Crossroads4Hope also helped address practical barriers that so many patients face. They connected me to financial support for medical copayments, transportation resources for my appointments, and community services that eased the daily stress of treatment. When those burdens are reduced, patients can focus their energy where it belongs—on healing.
When treatment ended, Crossroads4Hope remained part of my journey, including today through their survivorship support group. I emerged from cancer not only cancer-free but empowered. I understood my care plan, my body, and the importance of advocating for myself long after treatment was finished.
Crossroads4Hope does more than help patients survive treatment—they help patients truly step into survivorship.
My story also carries a broader message. Medications save lives, but their impact depends on patients feeling informed, supported, and confident enough to follow through with care. Crossroads4Hope served as the bridge between medical innovation and the real-world experience of patients. Because of the organization, I trusted my treatment. I stayed engaged in my care. I became an informed, compliant, and confident patient.
Cancer takes away a sense of control. Crossroads4Hope gave it back to me—through knowledge, support, and a belief in my ability to advocate for my own life and care.
How and What We Are Doing
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