Looking for a family friendly event that supports a great cause? Check out Worth the Wait’s Sunday Funday at Zaftig Brewery in Worthington on April 16.
Worth the Wait is a local nonprofit that helps young adult cancer survivors start families. They provide grants for fertility treatments, adoption and surrogacy since chemo and radiation often cause infertility. This kid friendly event will feature a one pot cook off and live music by Rich Byrnes. You can purchase tickets HERE
Westerville residents Mike and Megan Scherer turned their personal experience of young adult cancer survivorship and infertility into a charity to help others in similar situations. Their nonprofit, Worth the Wait, provides grants to young adult cancer patients for fertility preservation prior to cancer treatment and infertility treatments, adoption and surrogacy post treatment.
Almost 90,000 young adults are diagnosed with cancer each year* and chemotherapy and radiation leave many survivors infertile. Fertility preservation prior to treatment and fertility treatments after cancer are expensive (anywhere from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands depending on the intervention) and less than 1 in 4 companies provide any coverage or assistance.**
“We want all young adult cancer survivors to have the privilege of parenthood. Young adult survivors already face financial hardships because of time off work and medical debt and Worth the Wait’s grants fulfill this unmet need,” said Mike, a 10 year testicular cancer survivor. “We had our son Elliott in 2017 after several years of infertility treatments. We were fortunate to be able to afford it despite our lack of insurance coverage. Parenthood has been an incredible gift to us and we want to give survivors the hope of it without the financial burdens,” shared Megan.
Mike, a financial planner, and Megan, a former marketing professional, are leveraging their skills to grow and manage the non profit. They founded Worth the Wait, a 501c 3 non profit, in June 2021. The Scherers are covering all overhead expenses so 100% of donations go to young adult cancer survivors. Megan recently quit her job to volunteer as Worth the Wait’s director. Her relationships with social workers, adoption agencies,cancer survivors, healthcare providers and social media help them find worthy grant recipients. Applicants must complete an extensive application and include tax returns, insurance coverage, a personal reference and a medical recommendation from their oncologist. The Scherers further vet applicants by speaking with their adoption agency or reproductive endocrinologist.
In 2022, Worth the Wait awarded 9 grants to young adult cancer survivors across the country. Many grants went to individuals preserving eggs or sperm and one grant went to a couple hoping to adopt. Grant recipient and breast cancer survivor Marlee shares, "Worth the Wait has given us so much renewed hope in our adoption journey. The financial assistance is so greatly appreciated, but far beyond that, this grant has truly given us the hope and strength we need to continue to wait for our baby!"
If you’re interested in learning more, visit www.WorththeWaitCharity.com or follow
@WorththeWaitCharity on Instagram and Facebook.
*American Cancer Society
**SHRM 2019
