Support Connection is proud to introduce the Walk Ambassadors for our 30th Annual Support-A-Walk for Breast and Ovarian Cancer: Andrea Della Mura and Donna Nava.
Walk Ambassadors are supporters who share their personal stories to illustrate the spirit and purpose of this uplifting annual event.
Introducing Walk Ambassador Donna Nava
Donna’s Story
“Mom, you have to help other people like me. You have to promise me that you’ll help other people like me.” These were the words that Donna Nava’s daughter, Tiffany, left her with before passing away from ovarian cancer in August of 2003.
Tiffany had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer in college and although she put up a fight, her cancer was resistant to treatment. Donna was left with the grief of losing her daughter and a mission to carry out the promise she had made to Tiffany.
To fulfill that promise, Donna founded the Tiffany’s All at Once Foundation to ensure that Tiffany’s spirit would live on through helping others. The idea behind the name was that when faced with a cancer diagnosis, everything changes all at once. Tiffany’s cancer treatment would have her hospitalized for a week at a time. As a busy college student, Tiffany had found it difficult to stay up to date on her schoolwork while staying in the hospital. Donna’s initial goal for the foundation was to help make life a little easier for young people like Tiffany who were spending a lot of time in the hospital. Donna made trips to the Apple store to purchase headphones and other electronics that would enable students to focus and get work done while in treatment. She balanced her full-time job as an art teacher with hosting fundraising events for the foundation and networking to attract new donors.
Through all her hard work and effort, the Foundation gained enough funds to begin making a difference in the lives of those living with Ovarian cancer. The Foundation donated money to local hospitals, but often times did not receive word back about how the foundation’s donations were being spent. Donna’s sister-in-law, Debbie Nava, suggested that Donna become acquainted with an organization called Support Connection. Debbie had been fundraising on behalf of Support Connection for a few years and always felt that the money she was donating was making a direct impact on the lives of those impacted by breast, ovarian, or other gynecological cancers.
After meeting with Executive Director, Katherine Quinn, and counseling staff, Donna decided that Support Connection was an organization that she could trust to honor Tiffany’s memory and manage the Tiffany’s All at Once fund. Donna was assured that the funds would help provide vital services to women and their families while they were undergoing treatment and that she would receive regular updates on how the funds were being used. Donna collaborated with Support Connection’s counselors to establish a program called Tiffany’s Angels.
Donna had been inspired by an article in the newspaper she read about a home cleaning business called Maid Brigade that helped an individual with cancer by providing free home cleanings. Donna knew from experience that this was the kind of practical help that she had needed while supporting Tiffany through treatment. “I knew from when Tiffany was in the hospital, I didn’t have time to do things like clean the house or go grocery shopping,” Donna recounts, “It is the little things that make all of the difference. You can’t go grocery shopping; we’ll send you a basket of food. You need presents to give your kids for Christmas, we’ll buy them for you. When my daughter was sick, and I was struggling financially, I needed those little things. I didn’t have the time, I didn’t have the money, I just couldn’t do it.” The Tiffany’s Angels program has helped change that for others.
Since 2010, Tiffany’s All at Once Foundation has donated $40,000 to Support Connection. Through the Tiffany’s Angels program, Support Connection has helped over 150 people by providing them with house cleanings, meals, and gift cards. Each gift given to a Support Connection client is accompanied by a note of encouragement on behalf of Tiffany’s Angels. Tiffany’s spirit is kept alive through this program, providing help and giving hope to Support Connection clients undergoing cancer treatment.
Donna still receives regular communication on the ongoing impact of the Tiffany’s Angels program. She is grateful that Support Connection has helped her to fulfill her promise to her daughter and she is grateful for the friendship and community that she found from becoming involved with Support Connection. “I never expected to receive so much warmth and kindness and to have such personal relationships with the staff at Support Connection. With a lot of organizations, you just send a contribution through the mail, and you don’t hear back about what it’s being used for. With Support Connection the difference for me is that you do know, and you do see the results. You see how nice the staff is and how dedicated everyone is,” says Donna.
Having participated in the Support-A-Walk for twenty years, Donna is honored to be named a Support-A-Walk Ambassador of the 30th Annual Walk. Almost every year, Donna creates a Support-A-Walk fundraising page in honor of her daughter to raise money for Support Connection’s free programs and services.
Over the years, Donna’s Walk Team members have moved away or suffer from physical ailments, but everyone still finds a way to show their support by donating to Donna’s page or walking wherever they are. “That’s what is so great about Support Connection and the Support-A-Walk,” Donna says, “You can show your support and know that things are getting done from wherever you are.”
Join Donna Nava and Support Connection on Sunday, October 6, 2024, at FDR Park in Yorktown Heights, NY and in communities nationwide to celebrate 30 years of Support Connection’s Annual Support-A-Walk. If you are interested in making a donation or learning more, please visit www.supportconnection.org/support-a-walk.