On Your Side: The Me Squared Cancer Foundation

DALLAS - A COVID shutdown was no match for a North Texas cancer survivor on a mission to help others.

Barely done with her own treatment., she took the last year to raise plenty of money. Now, with her six-figure foundation, she’s ready to write checks.

Mimi Tran will be the first to tell you she’s a cancer survivor. Her journey started just days after her 50th birthday when she noticed something wasn't quite right.

"After a hot bath, I looked in the mirror. I felt good, and then was like why is this side pinkish? I check very normally because my grandmother had ovarian cancer," she recalled.

Tran immediately thought that she said the easy cancer.

"And they’re like, ‘No, no, no. You have triple negative.’ And believe it or not, I had my port put in on Friday and went to a funeral for a triple negative on Saturday," she said.

Tran’s doctors ordered six months of chemo, a mastectomy and radiation. She says it was treatment that was hell. But right in the middle of it, the Me Squared Cancer Foundation was born.

"I thought, ‘God gave me cancer. There’s got to be a reason. I want to be able to help somebody. I'm gonna start a foundation,’" she said. "The mission statement is helping adult cancer patients in the DFW area with their journey, whether emotionally or financially. And that’s what we do."

In October 2019, Tran’s radiation treatment ended, and she immediately had her first fundraising event. Then, COVID happened and the world stopped, but Tran didn’t.

Call by call, person by person, Tran and the board she assembled raised more than $125,000 in a year and a half. It’s money that they are eager to give away

"We have tons of money to give, not gonna lie," she said.

The Me Squared Cancer Foundation pays copays direct to providers so patients don't have to worry about money

Need a ride to an appointment? Your Uber is on them.

"You take care of yourself. And if we can take care of you also, we will," Tran said. "Because you’re not alone. We’re here for you."

It’s a message of hope born during the darkest of days.

"I see life in a totally different light now," Tran said.

 If you'd like to apply for help or give some yourself, you can learn more at mesquaredcancerfoundation.org.