Cancer CAREpoint in the News
2025
Cancer agency provides help lifeline for lifetime
Nonprofit provides people a way to find community, support, resources and love
Gilma Pereda, of Santa Clara, tries on a wig at Cancer CAREpoint’s office in San Jose. Pereda was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2016 and went through reatment. In 2021, she barely survived her battle against a metastatic cancer recurrence that spread through her body and that she is still fighting.
Photo by Shae Hammond — staff photographer
Mercury News Wishbook | By KATIE LAUER | Dec 4, 2025
SAN JOSE — Gilma Pereda was having trouble quieting her brain. That’s where doctors found a cyst the size of an egg a few weeks before Halloween, when an unexpected trip to the emergency room turned into a life-threatening prognosis, forcing the now-three-time cancer patient into quarantine during her favorite holiday’s festivities.
When Pereda was first diagnosed with stage 1B cervical cancer almost a decade ago — shortly after immigrating from Mexico City — the grueling treatment taught her a lesson about self-love and health. Then the cancer’s metastatic recurrence in 2021, which spread to her lungs and fractured her spine, dealt a blow of chemotherapy and immunotherapy that she barely survived.
Silicon Valley Business Journal | By Matthew Yoshimoto | Nov 27, 2025
Cancer CAREpoint, a local nonprofit offering free, personalized support services to cancer patients, survivors, caregivers and their families, is hoping to expand its programs to reach more residents across Silicon Valley.
The San Jose-based organization, which opened its Resource Center at2512 Samaritan Court in 2012, provides services ranging from one-on-one counseling and nutrition classes to support groups, movement programs and caregiver resources.
All offerings are free to clients, many of whom face steep medical costs, reduced work hours and major disruptions to daily life during treatment.
“Our real goal is to provide free, personalized support to cancer patients, as well as their family members, caregivers and people who are surviving cancer in the Bay Area,” Development Director Pam Klaus said. “We really fill the gap that medical care can’t fill by offering programs to bring comfort, reduce stress and help people feel less alone during their cancer journey.”
While the number of people seeking help has stayed relatively steady, Klaus said, clients are engaging with more of Cancer CAREpoint’s services than in past years.
Philanthropic event helps pave pathway to compassionate care
Cancer CAREpoint’s weekend garden party at Nestldown was quite an inspiring affair
PLEASANT SCENE – Executive Director of Cancer CAREpoint Pam Klaus with Board Chair Sarah Schiltz. (Dinah Cotton / Los Gatan)
LosGatan | By Dinah Cotton | August 27, 2025
On Sunday afternoon at 22420 Old Santa Cruz Hwy, inside Nestldown’s enchanting grounds, a garden party unfolded. This was not an ordinary party. This was Cancer CAREpoint’s “CCP” annual fundraiser. Nestldown is a little over six miles away from downtown Los Gatos. “We are very grateful to Nestledown in offering their venue for our major fundraiser,” Pam Klaus, executive director at CCP, said. This fundraiser received over 100 auction items, and was mostly held online.
Partying in the garden with purpose
What began as a simple gathering has blossomed into one of Silicon Valley’s premier summer events. This Garden Party welcomed over 350 guests and plans to raise more than $1 million dollars. Funds generated by the auction help CCP to support the Bay Area’s only community-based nonprofit that offers personalized, one-on-one cancer support services.
“CCP is dedicated to enhancing the well-being of Bay Area residents impacted by cancer by providing compassionate, personalized support services and programs tailored to meet individual cancer survivor needs” is how their mission statement puts it.
‘Crushing the Cancer Curveball’
At the sponsors reception, author Joelle Kaufman addressed the attendees with a hope-filled message. Kaufman is a 43-year-old breast cancer survivor. Kaufman also hosts a podcast called “Kicking Cancer’s Ass.” In her book, Crushing the Cancer Curveball: A Playbook for the Newly Diagnosed and Their Family and Friends, she offers a helpful playbook.
It’s a guidebook full of tips on how to survive—and thrive—during the recovery periods needed to “kick cancer’s ass.” In her family there’s a four-decade history of cancer. Kaufman goes from fearful to fierce. She ends each chapter with a “Lessons Learned” checklist.
Author Hanna Jayne (Hanna Haworth) Cancer CAREpoint client
Haworth, a San Jose resident who works with CCP, spoke during the garden party meal. She was diagnosed with Stage 2 cancer at age 41. Her husband was the one who first connected with CCP. Her personal essays on cancer survivorship have been featured in “Wildfire Magazine” and “Storycatchers.” With CCP one is not alone in the diagnosis and treatment—not to mention the journey back from the darkest days of battling cancer.
2024
Sam Liccardo makes campaign stop in his Saratoga hometown
Attendees discuss priorities with Congressional candidate
Former San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo left, speaks to a small group of South Bay residents as part of his campaign for Congressional District 16 in the backyard of philanthropist Gay Crawford, right, in Saratoga on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
San Jose Mercury News | By Isha Trivedi | August 14, 2024
Former San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo made a campaign stop in his hometown of Saratoga Aug. 8 ahead of his November runoff against state Assemblymember Evan Low for U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo’s seat in Congress.
About 20 people turned out for a meet-and-greet at the home of Gay and Roy Crawford to discuss Liccardo’s priorities if elected to Congress, and his plans to address the issues they see as affecting Congressional District 16, including homelessness.
Liccardo emerged from the March primary as the leading candidate overall and in his hometown, with Low in a tight race with Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian for the second spot on the November ballot. Low got the nod after a recount, the funding for which came primarily from allies of Liccardo.
At the meet-and-greet, Liccardo reflected on the lessons he learned about politics early in his career, and the issues he sees as most pressing heading into the election this fall.
“We have a crisis, I believe, of short-term thinking on Capitol Hill, and that’s the way they see the world is in the short term, and we’ve got long-term challenges facing our country right now,” he said.
A few attendees also expressed concerns about the possibility of former president Donald Trump’s re-election, and asked about what Liccardo might do if that happens.
“I believe strongly we should cross the aisle, (but) I’m not going to hug it out with Marjorie Taylor-Greene or probably with the orange guy,” he said.
Gay Crawford thanked the group for their attendance, and said Liccardo has been supportive of her work with Cancer CAREpoint, a nonprofit she helped found that supports cancer patients, survivors and their families.
Guiding Grief Hosted By Nicholas Welzenbach | June 6, 2024
Cancer CAREpoint counselor Juliann Halvorsen recently appeared as a guest on the Guiding Grief podcast with Nicholas Welzenbach. In this episode, she delves into the critical connection between mental health and body awareness, sharing powerful insights on how cancer can reshape an individual’s self-perception and worldview.
Jan Willoughby, left, Sarah Schlitz, Julie Lin-Friss and Bonnie Fox pose in Cancer CAREpoint’s wig boutique at a Feb. 29 open house at the nonprofit’s new offices in San Jose’s Cambrian neighborhood. Willoughby, a Los Gatos resident, co-founded Cancer CAREpoint in 2009 with Saratoga resident Gay Crawford. (Photo by Anne Gelhaus)
San Jose Mercury News | By Isha Trivedi | March 5, 2024
While Cancer CAREpoint is still serving many of its clients virtually in the wake of the pandemic, the nonprofit now has all of its free services for for adult cancer patients, survivors and their families under one roof.
Co-founders Jan Willoughby of Los Gatos and Gay Crawford of Saratoga welcomed visitors to Cancer CAREpoint’s new offices at an open house on Thursday, Feb. 29. The nonprofit moved on Jan. 2 from its old location in San Jose’s Cambrian neighborhood across the street to 2512 Samaritan Court, a space they designed as a refuge for people dealing with cancer.
Margaret Caldwell, Cancer CAREpoint’s director of development and marketing, said that while the new digs are smaller, there are advantages to the consolidation, as she and other staff used to have their offices in a separate building from the one that housed client services.
“It’s nice to be able to see who comes through the door,” Caldwell said. “You feel more connected to the clients.”
Those clients include cancer patients who come in for wig fittings, but many clients still avail themselves of online counseling, support groups, mind/body programs and nutrition seminars and consultations.
Caldwell said the nonprofit served over 2,000 clients in 2023, and doesn’t restrict its offerings to people with a certain type or at a certain stage of cancer. Since its founding in 2009, Cancer CAREpoint has offered free personalized support services, resources, education and assistance to more than 10,000 cancer patients and their caregivers and families.
Caldwell said the organization serves clients from the Alameda, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties. The office is located close to medical facilities including Good Samaritan Hospital, and to public transit stops near the Los Gatos border.
2023
By Sal Pizarro | September 2, 2023
Success Story: Nestldown, in the Santa Cruz mountains overlooking Los Gatos, is a popular wedding venue, but it also turned out to be the perfect spot for Cancer CAREpoint’s annual Garden Party fundraiser last Sunday. Nestldown owners Mark and Barbara Beck donated the use of the beautiful property for the nonprofit event, which had a sold-out crowd of 350 people and raised more than $1.1 million to provide non-medical support services for cancer patients and their families.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian provided updates on legislation for breast cancer screenings at a sponsor reception, but it was keynote speaker Ruth Slyngstad who captured the crowd’s hearts with an emotional talk about how valuable time is to someone like her with a terminal breast cancer diagnosis. Slyngstad, who has been a volunteer with Cancer CAREpoint for a decade, received her diagnosis less than a year ago.
“When you hear something like this that is life changing, all you want to do is hug your family and spend precious time with them. Time became a precious commodity to me,” Slyngstad said. “Cancer CAREpoint gave me more time to spend with my loved ones.”
2022
KTVU Fox2 News | Posted October 25
There are roughly 10,000 individuals diagnosed with cancer each year in Silicon Valley. Cancer CAREpoint serves approximately 2,000 of them, at no cost. KTVU spoke with the Executive Director of the non-profit as part of Breast Cancer Awareness month.
2021
2020
Cancer CAREpoint’s 2020 Virtual Garden Party in the News:
Cancer CAREpoint Has a New Executive Director:
Cancer CAREpoint names Dawn Hogh as Executive Director (PDF)
Press Release
March 19, 2020
2019
Get Involved with Cancer Survivorship with Cancer CAREpoint
Breathe Together Online / by Lindsey Kolb
October, 2019
Survivorship Needs Highlighted in the WSJ with a Cancer CAREpoint mention (See page 8 of PDF) & Opinion-Editorial published in the San Jose Mercury News:
You’ve Survived Cancer. What Comes Next? (PDF)
Wall Street Journal / by Laura Landro
September 16, 2019
Opinion: Bay Area Cancer Survivors Aren’t Getting the Help They Need
San Jose Mercury News / By Jen Landes
September 4, 2019
Cancer CAREpoint Raises $1 Million for 2nd Consecutive Year at Annual Garden Party:
Reunions, Fundraisers Draw West Valley Residents
Saratoga News and Los Gatos Weekly Times / by Debby Rice
September 13
Big Day for Cancer CAREpoint
San Jose Mercury News / By Sal Pizzaro
September 2, 2019
Cancer CAREpoint Garden Party
Silicon Valley Business Journal
September 13, 2019
Caroline Lee, finalist at the Junior League Volunteer Award Luncheon for her work with Cancer CAREpoint
April 10, 2019
2018
Cancer CAREpoint Raises $1 Million at Annual Garden Party:
Cancer CAREpoint Raises ONE MILLION DOLLARS for Cancer Patients and their Families
Los Gatos Living Magazine / By Dawn Hogh—Deputy Director and Rob Tufel—Executive Director
October, 2018
Cancer CAREpoint raises $1,000,000 at 2018 Garden Party
Silicon Valley Business Journal
October 12, 2018
Cancer survivor series comes to El Camino Hospital next week
Los Altos Town Crier / By Sarah Feng – Town Crier Editorial Intern
June 13, 2018
2017
Community Impact Award
Cancer CAREpoint was awarded the 2017 Community Impact Award by the Silicon Valley Business Journal! Check out the article featured in their Giving Guide all about our work!
Cancer survivors learn to pick up the pieces
Eight-week workshop teaches mental and emotional recovery following cancer treatment
Mountain View Voice / by Kevin Forestieri
Sept, 15, 2017
