Wednesday is a very special day on the Central Coast! It’s the 10th annual Day of Hope fundraiser.
If you are driving around Santa Maria, Lompoc or Nipomo, you won't be able to miss enthusiastic volunteers selling special edition Santa Maria Times newspapers to raise money for people on the Central Coast battling cancer at Mission Hope Cancer Center.
Andrea Sauceda is a local cancer survivor who credits Mission Hope for getting her through one of the most difficult times in her life.
“It can be very scary. It’s a very difficult journey. But to know that we have a place like Mission Hope that we can come to and get services, get support, get treatment, it makes the journey a little bit easier,” Sauceda said.
She describes the staff at Mission Hope Cancer Center as "like family."
“I’m from the Central Coast. I’m from Santa Maria born and raised. I have a husband, two daughters. I’m a preschool teacher, so I get to work with kids all day,” Sauceda said with pride.
With so many reasons to smile, she is even more grateful for Mission Hope, after fighting her own battle with cancer.
“In December of 2021, I found a lump in my breast. I knew it was something different that I haven’t felt before,” Sauceda said.
She discovered she had stage one breast cancer and began treatment at Mission Hope Cancer Center.
She credits the doctors and staff there for helping her navigate the often difficult journey.
“Mission Hope Cancer Center has been a huge part of my journey," Sauceda said. "From being there when I first got diagnosed to having surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. So I’ve literally been on every floor and every single time I felt taken care of. I knew I was in the right place that was going to help me fight my battle.”
A special fundraiser Mission Hope Cancer Center puts on each year is Day of Hope, where hundreds of community members line the streets of Santa Maria, Lompoc and Nipomo asking people to donate $1 or more.
In return, they get a special edition Day of Hope Santa Maria Times newspaper and the comfort of knowing they are helping cancer patients in need.
Since 2014, the Day of Hope event has helped raise more than $1.6 million to support the more than 500,000 cancer patients living in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.
“This annual event is truly special. For not only the Santa Maria community but the entire Central Coast. Thousands of patients are helped here at Mission Hope Cancer Center,” said Jessa Brooks, Mission Hope's VP of Philanthropy.
Now in its 10th year, organizers say the event is stronger than ever.
“Whether the patient is thriving and is a cancer survivor, or even if it’s a patient who lost their battle with cancer, our patients and our community members rally together and we celebrate all of those who are affected by cancer in our community,” Brooks said.
Now cancer-free, Sauceda is one of those who rallies to make sure future cancer patients are taken care of.
“It’s important to look at places like MHCC that can help you learn that you can fight, and you are stronger than you think,” Sauceda said.
If you can't buy a special edition newspaper on Day of Hope, you can donate online HERE.
To learn more about Day of Hope, visit the event's website HERE.
