At the Legal Information Network for Cancer, people frequently call wanting to know where they can turn for help, said Denise Kranich, the group’s executive director. According to national estimates, the number of cancer survivors in the U.S. is expected to reach 19 million in 2024.

“We get lots and lots of requests for actual financial help, which we do not do,” Kranich said. “There are only a couple of places out there that offer some small grants. They might do something one time where they will help with an electrical bill or mortgage.”

Many patients inaccurately think that, once they get sick, they can get Social Security disability benefits, said LINC client services attorney Crista Whitman Gantz. LINC helps cancer patients understand their financial and legal options.

“It’s very difficult to get approved. You have to be unable to work for at least 12 months. We are not talking about being unable to do the work you have been doing. Could you fold laundry? Could you answer phones?” Gantz said.

Wrenn applied for Social Security disability. She was turned down twice and now has appealed. She was working at a home products retail store when she was laid off and was just two months into a job as manager and crew trainer for a restaurant when she took medical leave.