Farmington Hills Woman Pays It Forward with The Pink Fund

If the word “crazy” denotes a sort of temporary imbalance, crazy is what a diagnosis of cancer often causes.

“I literally fell in my class, and I don’t know how I drove home, really,” said Farmington Hills resident Clarice Waldecker of the moment she learned of her breast cancer diagnosis.

Waldecker was taking an exercise class at the local and, ironically, preparing to participate in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day For the Cure walk in Detroit, when she received the devastating phone call from her husband.

Now a breast cancer survivor, Waldecker is “paying it forward” as a volunteer for The Pink Fund, a Michigan charity that directly pays the bills of breast cancer patients whose treatment protocols have depleted their incomes.

Currently, Waldecker is preparing for the organization’s next fundraiser. Slated Oct. 1 at in Rochester, the event features a talk by Kris Carr, the New York Times best-selling author of Crazy Sexy Cancer and motivational speaker for cancer survivors.

Lunch will be preceded by a yoga class with Jonny Kest of The Center for Yoga, with assistance from Carr. Tickets are $75 and $100 and can be purchased online at thepinkfund.org.

Although Waldecker did not encounter financial difficulties as a result of her medical treatment, a mastectomy followed by reconstructive surgery, The Pink Fund’s dual mission of educational outreach and financial assistance for patients stood out to her.

“I always thought there was something unique about the organization,” she said, recalling that 13 women received financial help from The Pink Fund in her first year as a volunteer.

“The concept is you’re actually helping someone practically, as well as providing emotional support.”