For families facing cancer, progress includes new treatments — and help paying for a mammogram, getting to surgery and finding their way through care.

Roanoke, VA

Author: Roanoke Rambler Staff, Tina Charisma Lead

Published: 9:20 AM EST October 28, 2026

Edited: 9:21 AM EST October 28, 2026

Listen Here: Roanokesradio.com

When Megan Jackson learned how much her mammogram would cost, she feared she would have to cancel it.

Jackson, a local resident living with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer while raising her young son, has navigated treatment with support from her care team and community. But getting care has also meant finding help when other assistance was out of reach.

“When I learned how much my mammogram would cost, I was afraid I would have to cancel it. I didn’t qualify for other assistance, but VBCF helped cover the cost so I could keep my appointment and get the care I needed. I’m incredibly grateful this support was there when I needed it.”

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month draws to a close, Jackson’s experience brings the conversation about cancer progress back to the decisions patients and families face: Can they afford a test? Who will drive them to treatment? Where can they turn when they do not know what comes next?

In Roanoke, scientists are investigating new ways to attack tumors. Across Southwest Virginia, patients and care teams are confronting the costs, distances and daily responsibilities that can make even existing care difficult to obtain.

Those needs continue long after October’s fundraisers and awareness campaigns end.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 8,470 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in women across Virginia in 2026. For the people behind that projection, a diagnosis can bring questions about treatment alongside worries about household bills, transportation and support at home.

Leanne Keen understands breast cancer as both a survivor and someone helping patients find assistance. A Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation board member, she also serves as the contact for its Screening & Diagnostic Services Fund at Clinch Valley Health.

In written responses to The Roanoke Rambler, Keen described how the fund has helped patients overcome costs that might otherwise lead them to postpone testing.

“By adding VBCF’s Screening & Diagnostic Services Fund to our facility, we have helped patients remove cost as a deterrent to getting the care they need. With some insurance coverages, even a diagnostic mammogram can be several hundred dollars. This often leads patients to defer care and receive diagnoses at later stages.”

For some patients, the next obstacle is the journey to treatment.

“Because we are in far southwest Virginia, transportation can be an issue. For example, if a patient chooses to have mastectomies and reconstruction, Roanoke (2.5 hours away) is one of the closest options to our facility. Many patients don’t have personal transportation that far, and it’s difficult to even get Medicaid taxis to make that drive.”

For those families, a treatment plan can also require arranging hours on the road and finding someone able to take them.

The foundation’s Screening & Diagnostic Services Fund began in Southwest Virginia in 2022. Working through local health care partners, it helps eligible uninsured Virginians and people unable to afford out-of-pocket costs obtain mammograms, ultrasounds, MRIs and biopsies.

Its Resource Coordination program helps people find financial assistance, transportation resources and emotional support. The organization also provides free information packages for newly diagnosed patients and materials addressing survivorship and metastatic breast cancer.

Foundation staff described how the expense of a test can sit alongside several other pressures.

“Being able to get the care they need without having to choose between their health and their household bills would make an enormous difference,” staff said in an interview with The Roanoke Rambler.

“Paying for a breast screening or diagnostic test is one part of that. People may also need transportation, time off work, help caring for a family member, or someone to explain the next step. An appointment being available doesn’t always mean someone can get there.”

A Team to Help Patients Find their Way

At Carilion Clinic, surgical oncologist Dr. Elaina Graham sees coordinating care as part of helping patients manage what follows a breast cancer diagnosis.

In an interview with  The Rambler, Graham described the role of the health system’s oncology navigation team.

“At Carilion Clinic, we know that navigating breast cancer care can be overwhelming, especially for patients in Roanoke and Southwest Virginia who may already be facing challenges with transportation, distance, or access to care. Over the past two years, having a dedicated oncology navigation team has really helped us build on the high-quality care we have always provided, while making the process more coordinated and less stressful for our patients.”

Navigators help connect the different parts of a patient’s care, from testing to appointments and treatment planning. That work can reduce the number of separate arrangements patients must manage while coping with a diagnosis.

“One of the things I’m most proud of is how our team works together. Our navigators work closely with the multidisciplinary team to review patient needs, prioritize appointments, coordinate testing, and plan ahead. Instead of each specialty working independently, we communicate and problem-solve together to reduce delays, avoid unnecessary visits, and make sure patients are getting what they need when they need it.”

For Graham, making those arrangements begins with understanding the person receiving care.

“For me, it really comes down to meeting patients where they are. Every patient has a different story, different challenges, and different priorities. We want our patients to feel like they are an important part of the team, not just someone receiving care. That means listening to what matters to them, involving them in decisions, and developing a plan that works for their individual circumstances. We can’t eliminate every barrier, but we can work together to make the process easier.”

She described that relationship as central to the team’s work.

“At the end of the day, I want patients to feel that they have an entire team working with them, not just for them. Our goal is for every patient to feel heard, supported, and actively involved in their care from the beginning and throughout their entire journey.”

A Ride, a Room and Someone to Call

American Cancer Society service records offer another view of the practical help patients and caregivers use.

Across Virginia, records with service dates through Oct. 21 show 1,769 patients and caregivers receiving 12,493 services, information responses and referrals.

That assistance included 3,255 one-way Road To Recovery rides for 224 patients and 3,640 Hope Lodge lodging nights for 211 patients and caregivers. Another 102 patients and caregivers received lodging assistance through the society’s Extended Stay America partnership.

Locally, available records show 15 patients and caregivers in Roanoke City received 47 services, information responses and referrals. In Roanoke County, 19 received 185; in Salem, seven received 47.

Transportation assistance included six Road To Recovery rides for two Roanoke City patients, 40 rides for two Roanoke County patients and 23 rides for two Salem patients.

Six Roanoke County patients and caregivers received a combined 87 Hope Lodge lodging nights. Two Roanoke City recipients received Extended Stay America lodging assistance.

Roanoke does not have a Hope Lodge, but local residents traveling elsewhere for treatment can receive lodging support near their treatment location. The program counts nights per person, so a patient and caregiver staying together for one night count as two lodging nights.

The figures cover all cancer types and include patients and caregivers. Program counts overlap, and the records do not capture all assistance, including transportation and lodging grants. The latest recorded service dates also vary: Aug. 24 for Roanoke City, Oct. 12 for Roanoke County and Oct. 13 for Salem.

The records are therefore an incomplete picture of assistance and cannot establish how much local need remains unmet. They do show that, for some residents, undergoing cancer treatment involves finding somewhere to sleep away from home or securing repeated rides to appointments.

What Research Could Bring

While patients navigate those immediate needs, researchers in Roanoke are studying problems that could shape future treatment.

At Virginia Tech’s Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, the Cancer Research Center–Roanoke brings together laboratories investigating how cancers develop, resist treatment and spread. Its work encompasses breast, brain and childhood cancers.

Samy Lamouille’s laboratory studies cancer-cell communication and strategies to impede cancer stem cells and metastasis, the spread of cancer. Other teams investigate the environment surrounding tumors and develop biomaterials intended to improve immune responses against them.

Cheng-Chia “Fred” Wu’s laboratory studies ways to deliver medicines to brain tumors, including focused ultrasound and convection-enhanced delivery, which delivers medicine directly into tissue. The team collaborates with researchers in Roanoke and Blacksburg and with Children’s National in Washington, D.C.

The work addresses difficult treatment problems. But research aims do not establish that a therapy is ready for patients, and research conducted in Roanoke does not necessarily mean an associated treatment or clinical trial is available locally.

For patients considering experimental treatment, the practical questions remain: Is a trial recruiting? Who qualifies? Where are appointments held? What help is available for travel or time away from work?

Those questions connect the promise of research with the circumstances patients already face. A possible treatment still requires a person to qualify for it, understand their options and manage the demands of receiving care.

Support that Continues after October

In Roanoke, the foundation’s Power of Pink Luncheon and Fashion Show brought people together at the Hotel Roanoke on Oct. 19 to hear personal stories and raise money for screening and diagnostic services. Businesses in Roanoke, Vinton and Blacksburg also participated in its Partners in Pink campaign.

The foundation’s assistance continues beyond those events.

“Breast cancer doesn’t follow a calendar, and neither does our support,” foundation staff said. “Our Screening & Diagnostic Services Fund, Resource Coordination program, free educational materials, and support kits are available year-round.”

For Jackson, that support meant keeping a mammogram appointment she feared she could not afford. For patients Keen works with, help paying for a test may be followed by another challenge: finding transportation to the next stage of care.

Their experiences show how much can depend on the arrangements surrounding an appointment, the money to pay for it, a way to get there and someone to help work out what follows.

“We need affordable screening, timely follow-up when something needs a closer look, and practical support throughout treatment and beyond,” foundation staff said. “We also need people to know that help exists before they put off care because they’re worried about the cost.”

The Roanoke Rambler