Although breast cancer typically affects women, men can be diagnosed with it as well.
Breast cancer not only affects a woman's health, but can also affect her career, family life and -- for those starting or continuing their education -- her plans for school. For breast cancer patients, survivors and their dependents, getting back to normal can mean resuming college or attending a university for the first time. Numerous scholarships and grants exist for breast cancer patients, survivors and dependents to help them cover college costs.
Survivors
Not only does breast cancer take a physical and emotional toll on survivors, it also takes a financial toll. Cancer survivors wishing to return to school or start school in the first place can find scholarships that help them pay tuition costs. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation sponsors the Komen College Scholarship Program, which provides $10,000 a year for four years to breast cancer survivors under the age of 25. Besides being survivors, applicants must have a high school or college grade point average of 2.8 or higher and must attend a state-sponsored school in their state of residence.
Patients
Current breast cancer patients can also find scholarships to help fund their college education while fighting cancer. The National Collegiate Cancer Foundation offers $1,000 one-time scholarships to cancer patients attending or planning to attend an accredited college, university or vocational school. Applicants must be 18 to 35 years old and a current patient or survivor. Scholarship applicants are asked to submit an essay about their cancer story. Winners are chosen based on the student's essay answers, educational plans and financial needs.
Dependents of Survivors
Dependents of breast cancer survivors also qualify for a number of scholarships. Sponsored by the Miles of Hope Foundation in New York, the Miles of Hope Scholarships for Students gives away eight $1,000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors in New York whose lives have been affected by breast cancer. The Mary Ellen Locher Foundation offers four-year college scholarships worth $8,000 to high school and college students who are dependents of a breast cancer survivor.
Dependents of Victims
College students who've lost a parent to breast cancer can earn scholarship money as well. The PinkRose Foundation caters specifically to young people who have lost parents to breast cancer, offering college scholarships to those students. Scholarship amounts vary depending on funding received each year and students must submit a written statement describing the impact breast cancer has had on their lives, as well as how the scholarship will help them move on from grieving to achieve future goals.
Tags: breast cancer, breast cancer, cancer patients, breast cancer, breast cancer patients, help them, high school
