East County nonprofit is a 'Blaze of Hope' for families in need

When Myra Moore talks about her wife Lisa Moore’s life after losing a child to cancer, she describes it as beautiful. 

“She turned pain into purpose,” Moore said. 

Myra Moore is now the vice president of Blaze of Hope, the East County nonprofit Lisa Moore started nearly 10 years ago after losing her son Blaze to liver cancer in 1999.

The organization offers financial assistance to families that have a child in the hospital due to a life-threatening illness. 

Blaze was 7 months old when diagnosed with cancer and died at 13 months old. 

Lisa Moore was a 21-year-old single mother, but she had her mother, Dianne Prestia Moore, and a community full of people who were supporting her emotionally and financially.

While staying at the hospital with Blaze, Lisa Moore witnessed firsthand the tough decisions parents have to make when their children are sick.

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She overheard a couple arguing about their mortgage payment because they hadn’t been working. Another mom had her phone shut off. 

“No parent should have to choose between spending a day with their child in the hospital or going to work to pay their bills,” Myra Moore said. “Our goal is to alleviate that burden and that worry.” 

The nonprofit has assisted eight families so far this year and over 7,000 families since its inception. 

The grants started at $500 a piece and have grown to $800. They’re not intended for medical bills. The grants help ease the stress of an impending car payment or overdue electricity bill.

Moore said the nonprofit's donations have gradually increased every year. Last year, Blaze of Hope raised more than $40,000. 

The board votes to either approve or deny every application, but income doesn't enter the conversation. Applicants don’t have to refer to an income chart to see if they’re eligible. 

If you have a child, who is hospitalized with a life-threatening illness and you need help paying a bill, you’re eligible.

Jonathan Bhatia is the sole provider for his family of four. He works for Veteran Affairs. 

He doesn’t know the exact number of days he’s missed work since his now 5-year-old daughter Scarlett was diagnosed with leukemia in 2023, but he was in a position of "negative hours" through November 2024. 

“Up until that point, anytime I would earn leave, I’d be paying back my negative balance,” Bhatia said. “While the job security was there, I just wasn’t able to make any money.”

The Family and Medical Leave Act ensures people receive up to 12 weeks leave without being fired, but it’s unpaid leave. 

Bhatia and his wife Hayli applied for financial assistance through other programs but were turned down because his annual salary was above the poverty threshold.

When Scarlett was first diagnosed and hospitalized, Blaze of Hope covered a few months of their water bill. When she was hospitalized again in January, the nonprofit covered their car payment. 

“For the sake of your kids, you’re going to put on a happy face,” Hayli Bhatia said. “They don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors, so to have a foundation you can reach out to for help is incredible. I don’t even want to say I'm grateful because I’m so beyond grateful.” 

Photo by Ian Swaby

Both the Bhatias expressed an appreciation for the nonprofit’s services beyond the financial component. Hayli Bhatia felt less alone because there was a community of people who understood what she was going through.

Her husband appreciated that anytime he reached out to Blaze of Hope, the interaction began with one question: How’s Scarlett?

“It means a lot,” he said. “It’s nice not to just be looked at as someone who needs help, but as the parent of a sick child who needs help.”

Scarlett is doing well. She was hospitalized for five days in January due to protocol because she had a fever, but her chemo port was removed Feb. 20, and she can stop her oral medications April 6.

The board absolutely hates to do it, but Moore said applicants have been denied on occasion based on the nonprofit’s mission statement. The child has to have a life-threatening illness. 

But because the board votes on every application, they can also use their own discretion when cases aren't as clearcut as cancer. 

A recent application involved a child who suffered appendicitis, but his appendix did not burst. A burst appendix is life threatening. However, it was initially thought it either burst or had a slow leak. 

Because appendicitis cases are usually released after a day or two, and he had to stay in the hospital for a week, the board felt it was a more serious case and approved the application. 

“We’re there to alleviate pain and burdens,” Moore said.