When they told us our daughter had cancer, the world stopped.

She was eleven. She couldn't breathe. Punctured lungs. Pneumonia. Screaming in pain. And all I could think was: we're going to lose her.

Before cancer affects you, you hear about it affecting other people, other children, and you say "damn, that sucks." But you don't really think about it. You don't imagine it's YOUR kid. And when it is? Everything you've seen on TV floods your brain. Every worst-case scenario. You're terrified to even say the word out loud because maybe if you don't say it, it's not real.

But it was real. And we had to figure out how to survive it.

The Problem: Nobody Tells You About the Help That's Already There

Here's what kills me looking back: there were resources in our own city that could've helped us, and we had no idea they existed.

We knew about the big ones - St. Jude, Ronald McDonald House, the organizations everyone's heard of. But the small stuff? The local church delivering meals to cancer families? The business giving free rides to treatment? The grant program specifically for families in our state?

Nobody told us.

It wasn't until we went to a family retreat - Lighthouse Family Retreat - that we met other parents who'd been through this. And when they started talking, we realized: oh shit, we've been doing this alone when we didn't have to.

They knew about camps. Financial help. Support groups. Meal trains. All this help sitting right there in our community, and we just... didn't know.

Why Most Resource Lists Don't Actually Help

After that, I started researching. And yeah, there are websites out there with resource lists. Lots of them.

But here's the problem:

They're scattered. You find a national list, then a state list, then you Google "cancer help [your city]" and maybe find something buried on page 3.

They're outdated. Half the links are broken. Phone numbers don't work. Organizations that shut down three years ago are still listed.

They're not organized for real life. You don't need "alphabetical by organization name." You need: "I need help with transportation to treatment THIS WEEK - who can help me?"

And the biggest issue?

They're top-down. Some nonprofit made the list years ago, and it just sits there. No one updates it. No one says "this one actually helped me" or "don't waste your time with this one."

There's no community. No trust. No way to know what's real.

What If Parents Curated the Resources Instead?

That's when it hit me: what if the people who actually USE these resources are the ones who verify them?

Not doctors. Not professionals writing guides. Not corporations.

Parents.

Parents who called that organization and got help. Parents who know which programs are worth your time and which ones make you jump through hoops. Parents who can say: "Hey, I used this. Here's what happened. Here's how to apply. Here's what to bring."

That's what Cosmic Cassy's resource database is.

How This Is Different (And Why It Matters)

Here's what we're building:

1. Community-Verified, Not Corporate-Approved

Every resource on our site can be:

  • Upvoted by families who used it and it helped
  • Flagged if it's outdated or didn't work
  • Commented on - Reddit-style threads where parents share their actual experience

You're not trusting some organization's marketing. You're trusting other parents who've been there.

2. Filtered by YOUR Reality

Not just national resources. City-level filtering.

You can search:

  • "Transportation help in Charlotte, NC"
  • "Meal programs in my state"
  • "Financial assistance for families in [your city]"

And it actually works. Not buried in paragraphs. Not hidden in PDFs. Just: here's what's available near you.

3. Parents Helping Parents in Real-Time

We're rolling out dedicated pages for every single resource. And on each page, you'll see:

  • How many families used it
  • How many found it helpful
  • Live conversations between parents

Think of it like this: you're not just reading a description. You're seeing parents say:

"This organization helped us with rent. Here's how to apply. Call on Tuesdays, ask for Maria."

"They're slow to respond, but don't give up - they came through for us after 2 weeks."

"Does anyone know if they help with transportation too?"

That's the difference. Real people. Real help. Real conversations.

We're Not Competing - We're Connecting

I'm not trying to replace St. Jude. I'm not trying to compete with Alex's Lemonade Stand or any other organization.

I'm trying to send you TO them.

I'm a curator. But not just me - we're ALL curators. Every parent who finds a resource that helped them can add it. Every family who got support can verify it. Every person who knows about a local church or business helping cancer families can share it.

This isn't my database. It's ours.

What I Want You to Walk Away Knowing

If your kid just got diagnosed and you're reading this:

You're not alone. Other families have already figured this out, and they're ready to help you.

There's local help you don't know about yet. Not just national organizations - actual resources in YOUR city, YOUR state.

You can trust this because real families say it works. Not because some corporation wrote a press release.

And here's the thing: this is bigger than me. I started building it, but honestly? It's way bigger than I thought. I need help. We ALL need to help each other.

So if you've found a resource that saved you - add it. If you know a local business helping families - share it. If you used something and it worked - leave a comment so the next family knows.

We're building this together.

Because when you're sitting in that hospital room at 2 AM, scared out of your mind, you shouldn't have to figure it out alone.

You should be able to open your phone, search for help in your city, and see other parents saying: "I've been there. Here's what helped me. You're going to be okay."

That's what we're building.