Surviving and Thriving: Yoli Origel’s Cancer Kinship Honored This Women’s History Month

In honor of Women’s History Month, we are proud to shine a spotlight on one of our extraordinary clients, Cancer Kinship, founded by Yolanda “Yoli” Origel. Yoli, a 15-year survivor of Stage III breast cancer, has dedicated her life to supporting cancer patients in their journey to survivorship.

Here’s why Cancer Kinship and Yoli’s story are so inspiring:

• Personal Journey:
  Yoli’s personal cancer story began when her mother was diagnosed when she was just seven years old. At 31, she battled the disease herself, powering through chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, radiation treatments, reconstructive surgeries, and preventive surgery to keep cancer away. As a survivor, she became a peer mentor for her cancer center and, in 2018, founded Cancer Kinship. Yoli is now a 15-year cancer survivor committed to supporting others through her purpose-driven work.
• Cancer Kinship’s Mission: 
  Cancer Kinship empowers the cancer community to confidently face the disease through peer mentorship, survivor empowerment and education, community resource navigation, and free wigs through their wig salon, Kinner Beauty. Their programs are aimed at reducing cancer recurrence risks and improving the quality of life by addressing the emotional impact of cancer.
• Addressing the Gap:
  Despite the millions of Americans living with a cancer diagnosis, resources addressing the long-term effects – including the emotional impact – are limited. Cancer Kinship works to bridge this gap and provide much-needed support to patients, survivors, and their families. Their programs play a crucial role by providing accessible support services and advocating for equitable access to quality care for all patients, regardless of where they stand in their journey.
• Cancer Kinship’s Social Enterprise: 
  In 2021, Cancer Kinship was entrusted with Susan G. Komen OC’s 20-year-old free wig bank, which Cancer Kinship rebranded and relaunched as Kinner Beauty. Kinner Beauty Salon provides free wigs and emotional support through wig consultations by cancer survivors who understand first-hand the traumatic effects of hair loss due to cancer treatments. To ensure the long-term sustainability of Kinner Beauty, they developed a scalable social enterprise through the creation of an online wig store whose net proceeds support Cancer Kinship’s charitable mission and growing client support services.

Join us in honoring Yoli Origel and Cancer Kinship during Women’s History Month. Together, we can support their mission and make a difference in the lives of cancer patients and survivors.

Learn more about Cancer Kinship: cancerkinship.org.