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Mary’s Gift offers hope

Young mother receives help in her battle



STANDING UP AGAINST CANCER­— Jazmin Garcia stands at a booth with her best friend, Carmela Chavez. Garcia is a Mary’s Gift recipient with a history of breast cancer in her family. SUBMITTED

STANDING UP AGAINST CANCER­— Jazmin Garcia stands at a booth with her best friend, Carmela Chavez. Garcia is a Mary’s Gift recipient with a history of breast cancer in her family. SUBMITTED

Few busy young mothers ever expect breast cancer to impact their lives between carpool lines, work responsibilities and paying bills.

But the unrelenting illness has been known to leave many families heartbroken and without the resources to receive proper care.

Mary’s Gift is a nonprofit organization that works to minimize these burdens. It offers 3D mammograms to underserved and uninsured Wise County men and women at no cost.

With 134 recipients receiving services through Mary’s Gift this year, the organization is helping residents prioritize their health.

As a single mother to a 4-year-old daughter, Jazmine Garcia is a 31-year-old working to balance college classes, work and motherhood. After her cousin, who is a year younger than her, was diagnosed with breast cancer, Garcia became concerned. In 2016, she received shocking news from her doctor.

“I had to go get a mammogram done because I had lumps in my breast,” Garcia said.

The financial burden of the screening process was significant, but Garcia knew she needed to take her health seriously not only for herself but her family.

“At that time, I was living in a different area and even with insurance, it was a couple thousand dollars,” Garcia said.

At that time, Garcia did not know about Mary’s Gift and the assistance it offers. In 2021, she was talking with a friend about her doctor recommending another expensive mammogram. She thought she wasn’t eligible for Mary’s Gift because she had insurance. A friend encouraged her to apply.

“It is such an easy process to apply, and I got a response a lot faster than I thought I would.” Garcia said.

Mary’s Gift allowed Garcia to receive the care that she needed without having to worry about a strain to her finances. With a daughter to raise, Garcia said that the organization made a huge difference in the process.

“When your doctor tells you that they find a lump it can be scary and with the financial help of Mary’s Gift, there is one less thing to worry about,” Garcia said.

Now, Garcia is able to look forward to the future. Next summer, she will graduate from Weatherford College with a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership. She hopes to then pursue her master’s in Human Resource Management at Tarleton State University.

She believes that anyone worried about paying for a mammogram should apply for Mary’s Gift. Whether a young mother or a senior citizen, cancer can change a person’s life.

“I am only 31 and I know a lot of people that say that I am too young to be going through stuff like this but my cousin’s diagnosis was an eye-opener,” Garcia said. “Mary’s Gift is an amazing program in Wise County that helped me.”

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