‘Peace and light’: Paternostro Cancer Foundation aims to help cancer patients feel seen, supported
Trending
When tragedy strikes, people have a choice between descending into despair or using their circumstances for the betterment of those around them. The latter is the path Krista Paternostro Bower and her family took when Krista's younger sister, Kathleen Paternostro Morgan, affectionately known as Kass, was diagnosed with cancer in the summer of 2011.
Sadly, at the age of 40, Kass would lose her battle with the disease almost a year to the date of her diagnosis. She had a beloved daughter, Josephine, who was 4 years old at the time of her passing.
"Probably two months before she passed away, we could see where the road was heading, so we talked about creating a foundation that would help people facing cancer, and she really liked the idea," Bower said.
"I've worked as a nonprofit professional my entire career," said Bower, who also serves as CEO of the Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants, Alexandria, Va.
She submitted the paperwork to become a registered 501c in January 2013, receiving approval just over a year later, establishing the Team Kass Foundation.
Two years after the loss of her sister, Bower's father, Thomas A. Paternostro, also was claimed by cancer only three days after he was diagnosed in September 2014.
"When we lost Kass, it was really our dad that provided that comfort, peace, confidence and hope that Kass was OK and we would get through this, so when we lost him, it was like our guiding star was gone," Bower said. "He was really helpful in raising money for the foundation and getting it off the ground those first couple years."
In January 2015, the organization changed its name to the Paternostro Family Foundation, ultimately becoming the Paternostro Cancer Foundation in 2019.
"Our family is very involved in the foundation," Bower said. "My brothers and my parents were all founding board members."
"We are primarily focused on providing support and assistance to families facing cancer in Lycoming County, regardless of where they're receiving treatment. We do that through four cancer related programs," Bower said.
Their first program, Harnessing Hope Cancer Care Bags, was launched in 2014, and was started with their mom, Kass' primary caregiver during her cancer battle.
"During chemotherapy, Kass always wanted hand wipes, mouthwash and other things nearby. My mom said, 'why don't we collect all those things, and give them out to people who are facing their own cancer diagnosis?' So we went to UPMC Hillman Cancer and met with their patient navigator, and they loved the idea." Bower said.
"We started delivering them that year, and this past January, we delivered our 1,000th bag," she said.
"People love them because at the end of the day, people just appreciate -- when they're going through probably the most difficult journey of their life -- that somebody's thinking about them," Bower said.
In January 2015, the foundation began a financial assistance program, which helps eligible patients by making direct payments to utility companies.
"About 67% of our payments go to PPL for electric payments, but we pay all kinds of utilities, including phone bills, cable, water and sewer," Bower said. Patients can receive financial assistance once a year, every year they're in treatment.
"This program has been so deeply meaningful to me because we've helped almost 450 families with almost $100,000 in payments on their behalf," Bower said. "It was actually my dad's idea. He thought this was a real tangible way we could help families that would directly impact their daily life."
In 2019, the foundation's K2 Headcover program was launched in collaboration with Alicia Boyer, owner of Arrow and Thread Handmade Designs.
Named after Boyer's mom, Karen, who passed away in 2022, and Kass, who lost all her hair due to her treatment, the program provides two complimentary head covers to women suffering hair loss while in treatment.
To date, around 320 women have received the headcovers.
In 2021, Paternostro launched a second collaborative program called Essence of You.
"It's a partnership with Susquehanna Health Foundation to bring people together every other month on topics related to health and wellness to provide an opportunity for them to step away from their cancer journey, spend time doing an activity or learning a new skill," Bower explained. "We've had about 110 attendees over the years, and part of the success of the program is the way we team up with professionals in the community who do these things."
Always mindful of community activism, the foundation also offers an annual $1,000 scholarship, open to any Hughesville area graduating senior.
"My dad was a superintendent at East Lycoming school district for years. He is the essence of the scholarship," Bower said. "We've given 21 students a total of over $12,000 over the years."
The efforts of Bower and the foundation to help those facing cancer as her father and sister did have resulted in an outpouring of gratitude from those they've helped.
"We've received hundreds of thank yous, and I cherish them all. A lot of times those cards and letters come with checks in them, saying, 'I want to do my part, here's a little donation,'" Bower said.
And the knowledge of what a difference the foundation has made in the lives of so many continues to be a driving force for Bower, who works full-time outside the organization to continue these efforts.
"The peace and light that you don't anticipate could ever follow such devastating losses … comes through the lives you're able to impact and the goodness that you feel by making a difference in others' lives in memory of people like your father and your sister," Bower said. "We started this foundation because of who they were and we're giving to others because of who they were, and then others are able to say, 'wow, I feel seen and I feel like somebody cares.' That's why I can't stop doing it."