Jill Kincaid was inspired to create Chemo Buddies after her sister, Karen, passed away from cancer. Jill spent hours and hours with Karen, helping to pass the time during her chemotherapy treatments. A few weeks after Karen passed away, back in 2012, Jill was compelled to provide that same kind of companionship for other cancer patients in Evansville. Chemo Buddies was born - starting small at just one hospital, but slowly growing, adding more volunteer 'buddies' and helping more and more people.

Fast forward to 2020 and Chemo Buddies has volunteers in every hospital in the area and is one of the more recognized non-profit organizations in the Tri-State. Chemo Buddies has also caught the eye of national cancer-related organizations. Earlier this week, the 2020 Cancer Community Awards named Jill Kincaid the "Catalyst for Care" winner, which recognizes a person who "improves the cancer care experience for patients and their loved ones...making a patient’s experience as easy as possible during an extraordinarily difficult time." Jill's video tells more of her incredible story.

Chemo Buddies has had to make some changes to the way help cancer patients these days. The coronavirus may prevent them from spending time in the chemotherapy rooms, but it certainly won't stop them from trying to make that experience as positive as possible. Visit ChemoBuddies.org to learn more about what they're doing and how you can help, whether it's volunteering your time or making some kind of donation.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

Kid's Planet

More From My WJLT 105.3