Grateful patient creates fundraiser to help cancer patients afford treatment

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - A grateful patient is coming forward and sharing her story after her very rare cancer diagnosis. She wants you to know about a fundraising event in Baton Rouge to help cancer patients pay for their medical bills.

“What if somebody doesn’t have $30,000 to pay to fight for their lives, and they’re like me in their 40s,” said Felicia L. Dart, Grateful Patient of Baton Rouge General’s Pennington Cancer Center.

Dart was diagnosed with mesothelioma of the pelvis in 2017. She said someone exposed her to asbestos when she was a little girl.

“It’s usually an old man’s disease,” said Dart. “It’s usually in the lungs, and it’s usually they’re older, and I’m young.”

She said there’s no cure and found a doctor in Washington D.C. who gave her the best chance of survival.

“I mean he wanted $30,000,” said Dart. “And then I realized how blessed I was to have that money to do it.”

She reached out to the Baton Rouge General Foundation to start a fundraiser for cancer patients in hopes of helping people having a hard time dealing with the financial burdens of treatment.

“As a person who was battling cancer, I was so thankful that I had what I needed in financial means to take care of myself, and I started thinking how many people don’t have the money they need to take care of themselves,” said Dart.

On Saturday, Apr. 30, you can go to Leela Yoga Lifestyle on Highland Rd from 9 to 11 a.m.

“We specialize in Vinyasa flow which is where you link the postures of yoga together in a really fluid movement,” said Brittany Roberts, Co-Creator of Leela Yoga Lifestyle.

For $25, you’ll get to sample movement, breathing, stillness and meditation. Organizers tell you to bring your mat, and there will be plenty of extra mats if you don’t have one.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit brgeneral.org/yoga.

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