A bit of star power in Boston came together to cook for a cause. Oscar winner and Massachusetts native Matt Damon teamed up with celebrity Chef Ming Tsai for “Cooking Live Boston.”
The program raises money to benefit Family Reach, a nonprofit organization focused on removing financial barriers around cancer care that insurance doesn’t cover.
“Insurance covers your medical costs, it does not cover your food, your housing, your transportation, your utilities,” said Carla Tardif, CEO of Family Reach. “So many families simply cannot afford both. The goal is so that patients don’t have to choose, do I get chemotherapy, or do I pay my rent? Do I put gas in my car to get to treatment or do I put food on the table for our family?”
Damon was candid at Monday night’s event about his family’s experience with the disease. His father Kent Damon, died of blood cancer in 2017.
“I thought often about this organization because we were one of the lucky families that had the resources to handle all of that other stuff,” Damon said. “I couldn’t imagine with the level of fear and trauma that accompanies that journey, having to worry about all that other stuff. So, the work here is incredible.”
Family Reach helped Norwood mom
At 20 years old, Mikalo has gone through more than most do in a lifetime. The Norwood native was first diagnosed with cancer before he was two. After years of chemo, he would need a bone marrow transplant. His mother sold her car and house to pay for the treatments. The debt was pilling up.
“I exhausted all resources. I was a single mom, and I unfortunately had to quit my job but luckily was able to be by his side,” Mikalo’s mother Raquel said. “Treatment went on for far much longer than what I had in savings.”
The team at Dana-Farber put Raquel in touch with Family Reach. The organization subsidized her rent for a year to help them get back on their feet.
“That treatment stuff, it was hard. But my mom she’s amazing, she got me through it. She’s the best,” Mikalo said. “I don’t know how she did it to be honest.”
Mikalo is today cancer free. A success story Damon revels in having met him over a decade ago.
The event on Monday aimed to raise more than $1.5 million for Family Reach.
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