Local breast cancer survivors giving back to cancer patients

HAMBURG, N.Y. (WIVB) – A mother and daughter from Western New York, both diagnosed with breast cancer, have turned their personal battles into a mission to help others.

In November of 2019, Jolene Wilson had her first mammogram at the age of 40. She says she had no concerns heading into her appointment.

After that first mammogram, she found out she had stage 0 breast cancer. Testing revealed she had a genetic risk as well.

“It’s CHEK2, which is a fairly new gene mutation that they have found,” explained Wilson.

Two months prior to Wilson’s diagnosis, her mother Lynn Hansen went for her regular mammogram and was told she had a benign lump. However, after Jolene’s diagnosis, she decided to get a second opinion.

“As I was recovering from my surgery, she called me and said she had breast cancer too,” said Wilson.

Jolene and Lynn’s breast cancers were both caught early. They went through treatment at Windsong Radiology and are now almost five years cancer-free. After fighting their own battles, they decided the next step was to help others.

“I got my hospital bill which was covered mostly by insurance,” said Wilson. “I realized there are a lot of people everywhere, but especially in Western New York, who don’t have that coverage.”

The mother and daughter founded the More Than Strong Cancer Fund. They create special care packages for cancer patients at Windsong. The duo funds all of this, simply, by returning bottles and cans. Most of those recyclables are donated by members of the community.

“We give about 10 to 15 of these each week to Windsong for the breast care patients that come through there,” said Wilson. “It tells you a lot about how many women and men are coming through Windsong.”

Wilson says Windsong did a phenomenal job with her and her mother’s treatment which is why they decided to collaborate with them. The pair does all of this out of the kindness of their hearts but say none of this would be possible without the support of the community.

“We’ve met so many people and just strangers that now are friends and even have become family,” said Wilson. “It’s just amazing. I never thought it would take off like this.”

If you’d like to donate, you can drop off cans and bottles to Jolene. You can reach her by phone at (716) 997-9752.

If you’d like to make a donation via Venmo, More-than-strong-fundraiser is the username.

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Trina Catterson joined the News 4 team in 2024. She previously worked at WETM-TV in Elmira, a sister station of WIVB. See more of her work here.

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