Women living in difficult day-to-day financial situations find themselves having to choose between food and prescription drugs, car insurance and co-pays, or rent and medical bills when they have breast cancer. Who is there to help?

Sense of Security is the only organization of its kind in Colorado. Inspired by a friend's struggle, Vicki Tosher, professional research assistant at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, founded Sense of Security in 2000. Sense of Security provides comprehensive, sustained financial assistance with basic living expenses for the duration of breast cancer treatment to relieve financial stress and ensure energy is spent on healing and recovery.

Grantees do not have to worry about losing their homes, providing food, or child care costs. Sense of Security provides financial assistance for the entire household with the understanding that everyone involved in the patient's illness requires time to recover and heal.

This year, Sense of Security will hit two major milestones in its mission to provide a sense of financial security for Colorado breast cancer patients. Before the end of 2008, they will have paid out their one millionth dollar toward housing, utilities, groceries, transportation, COBRA or insurance premiums and other basic living expenses of breast cancer patients. And they will have assisted their 500 th Colorado breast cancer patient.

Judy Baxter is an assistant professor at University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine and president of Sense of Security.

Robin, a Sense of Security grantee, is currently undergoing treatment at University of Colorado Cancer Center. She was diagnosed in March with breast cancer and simultaneously found out she'd lost her job when the company she was working for was acquired-she went from making six figures to making none. The financial burden was huge especially with her health insurance increasing to more than $500/month. But because of Sense of Security's monthly stipend, Robin is able to pay her rent and her health insurance. Robin is the volunteer resource director of Katrina's Angels. She says that Sense of Security has been a lifeline for her and because of it, she is able to help others who are in worse situations than she is. She is currently job hunting and believes her last treatment at the University of Colorado Cancer Center will be in January 2009.

An annual benefit for Sense of Security, Champagne & Diamonds, took place on Nov. 8. More than 275 people attended and approximately $90,000 was raised.