Sometimes the unthinkable happens. When you think all is well, it turns out you’re drowning in a storm you never saw coming.
For one Saskatchewan family, the Vollmans, that storm arrived with devastating force. First, a father’s prostate cancer diagnosis. Then, 39 radiation treatments stretching across eight weeks in Saskatoon—a city where he knew no one and had nowhere to stay. The financial burden felt impossible for their family.
But the storm wasn’t finished.
Within months, a daughter’s beloved husband passed away. Then came another crushing blow—a mother diagnosed with stage 4 bone cancer.
This is the story of Jerry and Laura Vollman, and their daughter, Nikki. One grieving family. Endless hospital stays. The kind of circumstances that would break most people’s spirits and empty their bank accounts.
“My first thought was how the heck are we gonna get through this,” Nikki recalls, her voice heavy with the weight of those dark days. “Cancer—that’s the big scary c-word nobody wants to hear.”
When Families Face the Impossible
Picture yourself in their shoes for a moment. You’re watching your parents fight cancer while grieving the loss of your husband. Your daughter needs to be by your side through every hospital visit, every treatment, every uncertain moment. The bills are mounting. The distance from home is challenging.
Where do you turn when life demands more than you have to give?
In Saskatchewan, there’s an answer. The Kinsmen Foundation, backed by a community that doesn’t let families face their darkest hours alone.
The Kinsmen Foundation stepped in when this family reached their breaking point. They provided funds for accommodation, meals, and travel—the practical support that meant family members could stay together during the most frightening time of their lives.
“There is no way I had ever thought I was going to be able to be by either of my parents’ side throughout any of this without your kindness and goodwill towards us,” Nikki shared through tears of gratitude.
More Than Money—A Lifeline of Hope
What the Kinsmen Foundation provided wasn’t just financial assistance. It was the gift of presence. The ability for a daughter to hold her parents’ hands during treatment. The comfort of knowing that in these moments, they weren’t facing the battle alone.
“I stepped in and decided then that I would be the one to hold us all together,” Nikki explained. But she didn’t have to carry that burden entirely on her own. Saskatchewan’s generosity became the bedrock that sustained her family.
This isn’t just one story. It’s one of thousands that unfold across our province every single year.
Behind every dollar raised for the Kinsmen Foundation is a family like this one—people facing circumstances beyond their control, needing help that goes far beyond what any individual should have to shoulder alone.
The Ripple Effect of Saskatchewan Generosity
When you donate during TeleMiracle, or give to the Kinsmen Foundation during the year, you’re not just giving money. You’re ensuring that families don’t have to choose between being present for their loved ones and paying the bills. You’re making it possible for a daughter to be by her parents’ side during cancer treatment. You’re providing hope when everything else feels hopeless.
Each donation creates a ripple effect of care that reaches further than most people realize.
The Power of Collective Compassion
There’s something special about knowing that your neighbours—people you may never meet—are willing to support you through your darkest hours. It’s a strong fortress that takes on the storm when it rises and it’s created by individual acts of kindness, creating something stronger than any one person could provide alone.
When the Vollmans reached out to the Kinsmen Foundation, they weren’t just asking for financial help. They were reaching out to their community, trusting that Saskatchewan would respond with the same compassion they would show to their own family members.
That trust was honored in full.
“Our family would have never gotten through this without you,” Jerry expressed, his voice breaking with emotion. “So I love you guys and thank you.”
Those words carry the weight of genuine gratitude from someone who knows exactly what it means to be held up by the kindness of others.
Your Part in the Story
Right now, there are families across Saskatchewan facing their own impossible storms. Parents driving hours for medical treatments they can’t afford. Children needing specialized equipment that insurance won’t cover. Families choosing between being present for their loved ones and keeping their households running.
Your donation to the Kinsmen Foundation doesn’t just help one family—it becomes part of a network of support that catches people when they fall. It’s the assurance that no matter how dark things get, the people of Saskatchewan will be there.
Every dollar matters. Every contribution adds to the collective strength that makes stories like this one possible. When you give to the Kinsmen Foundation, you’re saying that no family should face their worst moments alone.
Make your donation to the Kinsmen Foundation today and be part of the next life-changing story. Together, we’re stronger than any storm. Donate here.
The Kinsmen Foundation exists year-round, granting applicants access to special needs and/or mobility equipment as well as medical travel assistance.
Despite only having a population of around 1.2 million people, the generous residents of the province have helped us raise over $171 million since 1977.
