by Share On Social!
No family wants to hear news that their child has been diagnosed with cancer.
Unfortunately, an estimated 15,780 U.S. children between birth and age 19 are diagnosed with cancer every year, disrupting family life to the very core.
However, Jason Massiatte is doing the work to make sure San Antonio and Bexar County families are getting the help they need through the Hope at Heart Foundation.
Massiatte leads the foundation, which provides counseling, financial assistance, and other support as families navigate the complex hardships of childhood cancer.
Jason Massiate: The Inspiration to Help Others
A San Antonio native, Massiatte was inspired to help others through his own experiences growing up in a family that faced poverty and life challenges.
“I know what it’s like to struggle,” he said.
Even with very little, Massiatte said his parents always found ways to help others in need, proving that generosity and service matter despite your personal circumstances.
“So, I’ve always thought, you know, if I ever get an opportunity to give back, that I will, you know, and I would,” he said.
After spending many years in the private sector for a major Texas-based moving and storage agent and attending a leadership development program with the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, Massiatte found an opportunity.
He became CEO and president of Hope at Heart, originally launched in 2017 as Ma Hila’s Heart in San Antonio.
Massiatte worked hard to seek support and funding in the community.
“The hardest thing was getting those no’s. But the way I see it is not now, don’t give up because you get fatigue from asking constantly,” he said. “What helps me is knowing that we’re saving people’s lives, we’re saving families.”
Massiatte has seen firsthand how important resources are for families in need of assistance.
“I can’t tell you how many families that are working class families that fall off of this, what we call, financial cliff,” according to Massiatte.
Jason Massiatte: Hope at Heart’s Mission to Support Families
The Hope at Heart Foundation supports families facing financial hardships and helps to free them from stress, so they can focus on their child’s healing and treatment.
“You have two working parents, and one has to stop working because they’ve exhausted all their vacation and everything else to focus on taking that child to treatment so, they fall behind on is bills,” Massiatte said.
Hope at Heart receives referrals to help families through hospitals in Bexar County.
“[Families are] vetted through the hospital social worker team, the child life team, through Methodist Children’s, University Hospital, Christus Children’s, including Vitas Healthcare, which is a hospice,” Massiatte said.
“It’s important to have these resources, mainly because there isn’t a lot available for these families.”
The foundation has several assistance programs.
Blessing’s Way provides financial assistance for factors like mortgage and rent, groceries, other bills and more.
Heaven’s Way helps with funeral service costs, parent grief support group, and more.
Survivor’s Way provides holistic support like genomic testing, mental wellness services, and nutritional meal plans.
“If there’s a family that’s about to be unhoused or about to be evicted, we’re trying to cover that rent to ensure that they have a roof over their head,” Massiatte said. “If there’s a family that has medication needs to be refrigerated, we’re trying to cover that electricity cost.”
Resources related to colon cancer and sickle cell are also available through Hope at Heart.
Jason Massiatte: Looking to the Future
Massiatte credits his family as his biggest inspiration to keep doing the work he does.
“I am a father of eight children, ranges from 30 years old down to two set of twins that are 3 years old, and I absolutely love my family,” Massiatte said. “And God forbid any of this has ever that we would encounter this. I would want there to be resources for my children, for their children.”
Massiatte also hopes to continue to secure funding to grow Hope at Heart’s staff and better educate the community about what the organization can provide for Bexar County families.
“With the families that we serve, we want to expand our programs from the nutritional classes to mental health resources, to be able to kind of educate the public and educate our elected officials,” he said.
While funding and donations make a big difference, Massiatte also emphasizes the importance of awareness in the community and wanting people to know how important Hope at Heart can be for families in need of assistance.
“My call to action is to get to know who we are, learn about us, like and share. If you can’t donate, follow us. Follow us to learn about our programs and reach out to families that are battling cancer. It affects everybody. It doesn’t just affect one community. It affects us all,” Massiatte said.
Learn more at Hope at Heart Foundation website or its Facebook and Instagram pages.
Share Your Survivorship Story with Avanzando Caminos
The Hope at Heart Foundation shares the stories of families impacted by childhood cancer.
At Salud America!, we do the same with participants of the Avanzando Caminos Hispanic/Latino Cancer Survivorship Cohort Study.
The Avanzando Caminos research study at UT Health San Antonio is looking to enroll 1,500 Hispanic/Latino cancer survivors in South Texas.
Participants must have completed primary cancer treatment for breast, lung, liver, stomach, colorectal, kidney, prostate, and uterine cervical cancers in the last 10 years.
Recently, the study announced it would now be enrolling participants who are bladder, melanoma, ovarian, thyroid, and lymphoma cancer survivors like Arnoldo.
The study is comprised of seven study visits over five years, which consists of assessment interviews, and some blood draws.
Volunteers are eligible to receive $50 per visit.
To inquire about volunteering for Avanzando Caminos, please contact a member of the study team at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio at 210-562-6514 or email caminos@uthscsa.edu.
You can also visit the Avanzando Caminos website in English or Spanish for more information or fill out a short eligibility survey and a member of the study team will be in touch.
Join the Avanzando Caminos study in English or Spanish.
share your story with avanzando caminos!
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This success story was produced by Salud America! with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The stories are intended for educational and informative purposes. References to specific policymakers, individuals, schools, policies, or companies have been included solely to advance these purposes and do not constitute an endorsement, sponsorship, or recommendation. Stories are based on and told by real community members and are the opinions and views of the individuals whose stories are told. Organization and activities described were not supported by Salud America! or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and do not necessarily represent the views of Salud America! or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
