The Hille Tänavsuu cancer treatment foundation “The Gift of Life” (Vähiravifond Kingitud Elu) is a privately initiated cancer treatment support foundation whose mission is to help cancer patients whose treatment is not considered sufficiently “cost-effective” by the state at this point.
The foundation supports cancer patients primarily financially. We help people purchase modern medications (or treatment procedures) essential to them, giving them hope, a chance to live longer or even fully recover.
Cancer continues to be diagnosed a great deal in Estonia. Modern treatments are becoming more effective, but also more expensive. The Health Insurance Fund has its own formulas to determine which kinds of treatment fit under the national insurance policy. This leaves many new treatments unfit for discount.
The foundation began with the case of journalist Hille Tänavsuu. Hille was diagnosed with cancer in 2006 and struggled with her serious illness for years. She received all kinds of treatment in Estonian hospitals that the Health Insurance Fund compensates. This was the case until 2013, when the state medical system was forced to give up: all treatments covered by the Health Insurance Fund had run out.
However, there was still one drug which nobody had used in Estonia. It was not covered by the Health Insurance Fund. The box of the drug (60 pills) cost Hille more than 5000 euros each month, which was about five times more than the average wage in Estonia at the time. She faced a choice: pay or die. But she did not give up.
Thanks to dozens of supporters – both friends and relatives and complete strangers as well – Hille managed to get her medication each month. It proved nothing short of a miracle for her health. Many of Hille’s dreams came true and in summer 2013 she saw the birth of her fifth grandchild. The drug gave her one extra year of life. This was one of the best years spent together for the Tänavsuu family. Time proved to be invaluable.
Hille’s fight with the terrible disease lasted until April 2014, when she finally surrendered. A few months before her death she and her son Toivo found that there were dozens of families in Estonia in a similar situation, where a family member cannot afford a treatment they desperately need. This is how the idea of creating a foundation to support them came about. Janek Mäggi joined in as a co-founder of the foundation.
Hille Tänavsuu Cancer Treatment Foundation “The Gift of Life” launched in February 2014. Many people joined them on the mission of gifting life. Besides helping cancer patients the foundation also aims to “treat” Estonian society by promoting donation as a lifestyle, creating coherence and encouraging Estonian people to fight for the lives of their own people in need.
By 2025 “The Gift of Life” has grown to become one of the biggest charities in Estonia: we have supported more than 2800 people and raised over 27 million euros in donations. Almost everyone who has contacted us and is part of the foundation’s target group, has received assistance.
The people who have been given one more chance are 5-88 years old and reside all over Estonia. Several people, who were as if “written off” by the state, have fully recovered and dozens have spent a fulfilling year or even more with their loved ones thanks to the foundation’s support.
The foundation cannot guarantee longer life to anyone, but we can maintain hope and also give a chance to try out the best treatment, to live or recover completely.
How to apply?
Currently we can only support Estonian patients.
The patient applies for support in co-operation with their treating physician. In order to apply, the patient fills in and sends the foundation an application form along with a physician’s referral, epicrisis (summary of medical case) and treatment price calculation.
See electronic application form below.
Should the reply not arrive within reasonable time, there is a chance that it may not have reached us due to circumstances beyond our control. Should the reply not arrive, we kindly ask that the applicant checks whether the application has reached the foundation by calling our CEO Margit Saar on +372 52 35 856.
If necessary, we ask the applicant or their treating physician for more information.
The council of the foundation makes a decision about support as soon as possible, often within a couple of days, but no later than within two weeks. The reply may only take longer due to circumstances beyond our control.
The foundation does not support already completed treatment whose cost the patient seeks to compensate retroactively. As a rule we do not support alternative treatments.
A necessary condition for receiving support is that the Health Insurance Fund refuses to compensate the treatment (including exceptionally).
Key principles of support:
- We only support oncological treatment. We prefer supporting the purchase of medication to supporting treatment procedures (including those carried out abroad).
- In order to receive support the patient needs to provide us with a duly completed application along with a treating physician’s referral and a summary of the medical case (epicrisis). The treatment must be indicated for the patient.
- There must be a clear failure in the health care system for the patient (the necessary treatment/medication does not form part of national health insurance and is not covered by the special compensation of the Health
- Insurance Fund to the extent necessary). The medication must have marketing authorisation.
- The council makes its decisions about support according to its statutes.
- The foundation does not provide long-term treatment guarantees. It provides support in accordance with the resources available to it. It guarantees the availability of the medication or treatment until the date decided by the council.
- The foundation does not compete with the Health Insurance Fund. The foundation is not able to help everyone who applies. Nor is it obliged to support anyone. Its decisions may be subjective. The foundation is more of an additional option for patients (for example, if they need a medication that is not yet available at a discount, but may soon be so).
- The foundation does not award cash. In the event of the approval of an application, the foundation covers the applicant’s medical bill(s).
- Since the foundation has limited resources and because it seeks to help as many people as possible, it requires patients to provide as much self-financing as possible. Decisions may depend on the patient’s own contribution if the foundation has a limited amount of resources and a large number of applicants.
(Approved at the council meeting on 8 April 2014 (amended 26 May 2016))
