Colleen Shaffer was given six months to live when, in 1999, she found out she had stage four metastatic breast cancer. The cancer, in her words, had spread down her spine, and her liver was peppered with three large lesions.
But Shaffer knew that she was more than just her circumstances, and if given the chance to live, she would make it worthwhile.
“I gave a prayer: Give me 20 years and I swear I will donate my time,” Shaffer said.
Circle of Hope started out as a dream that Shaffer was determined to achieve. Launching in 2004, Shaffer began the nonprofit and wanted to fulfill her need to help people fighting the disease.
Shaffer began with breast cancer resources, since she knew what to expect. But it slowly expanded to provide resources for all types of cancer.
At the core of Circle of Hope, the nonprofit organization wants patients to feel comfort and support as they deal with cancer.
“Circle of Hope really — it kind of encompasses and wraps its arms around cancer patients, and getting to see that cancer patients get the gift of comfort and the gift of knowing that there’s somebody there with them,” said Dawn Abasta, chair of Circle of Hope.
Circle of Hope took over the Vine 2 Wine fundraiser after a previous nonprofit organization folded, and by doing this, it continuously upholds its main goal: to make things easier for cancer patients.
The event was held at the Sand Canyon Country Club on Saturday evening, with wine booths everywhere you looked.
“We take the money received from the event, the net money and honestly, we help cancer patients pay COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act), we help them pay medical bills, copays, things like that. That’s what the money’s done and what we do with the money,” Abasta said.
But the evening’s festivities did not stop at the wine and their best “cellars.” There was a raffle, hors d’oeuvres filling up the tables and a sense of community coming together for a good cause.
Fornati Bedell is a surgeon who works at Circle of Hope and owns her own wine label.
She emphasized that the organization’s impact is nothing short of great on her and her patients.
“It shows the community that there is a cohesiveness, essentially, that we are one and we’re all here to support each other, especially for the patients that I have and just feel super supported during this time,” Bedell said.
She added that she loves the fact that she can help both ways, with providing the wine for the event and being able to help patients.
A couple who came out to support Circle of Hope for the first time love that the event is fun and supports a worthwhile project.
“I think Circle of Hope is a great organization. You know, with many worthwhile projects, and on the cutting edge of health care. I think it’s just great to support that any way we can,” attendee Marty Lipsey said.
Attendee Erik Orozco said that even if you are not from the area, but you care about it, there’s a level of importance to be involved in the community.
Since starting Circle of Hope, Shaffer wanted to create something to give back to her community that’s been a part of her identity since 1968 and to help the working class in Santa Clarita with whatever cancer has thrown at patients.
“He (God) has a sense of humor; I want to tell you. I’m going to be 74 … Anyways, when I turned 70, I thought I was going to retire. Two days later, I get three phone calls: ‘Colleen, can you help these patients?’ And I’m going, ‘You (God) are charging interest in this 20 years,’” Shaffer said with a burst of laughter.
