ARLINGTON — When Christine Anastos was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016, she recalls receiving gifts from friends, family members and co-workers. She was fortunate enough not to need money to help her during that difficult time, as therapies such as massage, Reiki, yoga, Tai Chi, expressive art therapies and acupuncture weren't covered by insurance.
But Anastos met many women during her journey who did not have the financial means to pay for such support, so she decided to do something about it.
Anastos founded Connect and Thrive (CAT ), a social impact company for women created specifically to support cancer "previvors," patients, thrivers and caregivers by empowering them to embark on healing journeys with confidence and hope.
CAT’s mission is to “help women connect with a supportive community of partners so they can thrive.”
Now, instead of sending flowers, people can show their support by contributing to the patient’s “KittyFund.”
How Connect and Thrive (CAT) works
CAT taps into the generosity of friends and family to show their support in a more meaningful way than sending flowers or giving gifts. It allows cancer patients or their supporters to start a crowdfunding campaign called a KittyFund.
All funds raised for a KittyFund are the patient’s to spend on evidence-based healing modalities and healthy living products from CAT’s carefully curated Marketplace (not typically covered by insurance).
Why conventional medicine alone isn’t enough
Anastos, who worked as an environmental engineer for 25 years, said her breast cancer diagnosis was determined to be due to environmental factors. During her treatment, she met many women who were victims of cancer recurrence, which made her realize conventional medicine addresses the acute situation, but not the cause.
“I started to realize that conventional medicine has so much to offer, but it’s not necessarily addressing the root cause of the diagnosis," she said. "Why did it happen in the first place? What is our body telling us? It’s indicative of an imbalance in our system. Why is it happening?”
Healing modalities that complement conventional care
More than 400 offerings on CAT’s Marketplace complement the care a patient is already receiving. In some cases, these integrative therapies dive deeper into perhaps root causes and make patients aware of risk factors and things they can do to prevent recurrence or occurrence for individuals who have not yet been diagnosed, said Anastos.
"Conventional medicine focuses on the physical aspects of it, but there are significant components that also need to be taken into consideration," she said. "There is a lot of mental anguish. There’s anxiety, depression, fear, trauma, insomnia, fatigue, physical symptoms, nausea, neuropathy, brain fog and spirituality. A lot of people question their worth."
More than just a marketplace
CAT’s website also offers 70 pages of free resources for women going through cancer under its “educate” tab.
There are also links to articles, research studies, videos and podcasts for nine different categories including mind, body, spirit, appearance, coaching, community, animal therapy, exercise and movement and more.
About CAT's symbol: the Cheetah
Connect and Thrive's logo is the image of a cheetah named "Hope." It was created by artist Hannah Bullen-Ryner.
A member of the cat family, the cheetah symbolizes speed, resilience and achievement and embodies grace, flexibility and strength needed to navigate life's challenges, said Anastos.