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By Vanessa Pimentel
Cronkite News
PHOENIX – What started as a tribute to a single mother of four has since grown into a support system for the many cancer warriors who have been in her shoes.
On Oct. 23, 2005, single mother Michelle Singleton lost her battle to cancer. Years later, a community exists to honor Singleton’s life. The Singletons, a nonprofit organization based in Phoenix, devotes itself to supporting single-parent families battling cancer.
Formerly known as Singleton Moms, the Singletons provide aid to many families, supplying them with groceries, household items and financial assistance. Marleah Nigro and her daughter, Marisa Nigro, found comfort in knowing they had the Singletons community to lean on.
In 2019, Marleah was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. With rounds of chemotherapy and sleepless nights ahead, Marleah knew she had to slow down and take things easy.
“It was very frustrating to say the least,” Marleah said.
Just one year before, Marleah’s husband died. She was now facing cancer and having to raise a daughter alone. It was during her treatment, that Marleah found out about the Singletons.
The financial strain of medical treatment and bills can weigh on single parents trying to make ends meet. For the Nigros, though, the support from the Singletons was more than just material.
For Marleah, it was “having someone that cares.”
“The population we serve is not just underserved, they are under-recognized. People have not recognized that this population exists at the level that it does,” said Jody Boyd, executive director and founder of the Singletons.
Marleah is now in remission and able to focus on her future with her daughter.
Herminia King, another single parent with cancer, found the Singletons at just the right time in her life. King no longer had to worry about things like putting dinner on the table for her children. She said it made it easier on the days she wasn’t able to get up and get moving.
“I didn’t want to, I just didn’t have the energy,” King said.
On the third Saturday of every month, the Singletons host a Care Day, providing families with essentials such as healthy meal kits and household supplies. Attendees of the Feb. 17 Care Day at the Singletons’ building on Bell Road in Phoenix made crafts and shared wholesome moments with one another.
To be eligible, individuals or their child must be actively receiving chemotherapy, radiation or recovering from a cancer-related surgery; provide documentation; and be a single parent with children in the home, according to the Singletons website.
To apply, individuals must go through intake and the verification process to begin onboarding.
Cronkite News reporter Lauren Bly contributed to this story.
