While in the hospital, doctors discovered through routine testing that Zoe has cancer. On top of losing half of her family, Zoe must now find the strength to fight the disease by undergoing six rounds of chemotherapy. Luckily, she has a large network of love and support, including her mother, Sang, her younger sister, Jude, and the one and only Kim Kardashian.

As a bright spot in the clouds, Kim and her fiancee Kris Humphries heard Zoe’s story and decided to surprise her in the hospital. Aside from bringing her lots of encouragement and hugs, Kim featured Zoe’s story and pictures of the visit on her blog. She also asked all of her followers to donate to the GiveForward page set up in Zoe’s honor to help cover her medical expenses. Over 5,000 people “liked” the post, and this added publicity has helped raise over $6,300 of the fundraiser’s $25,000 goal in just 2 ½ weeks.

Zoe and her family have a long way to go as far as recovery. Though the future is always uncertain, with the help of mega-stars like Kim, we can begin to see the sun peeking over the clouds. Kim’s blog post dedicated to Zoe is titled “One Of The Bravest Girls I’ve Ever Met.” One thing is for sure — we couldn’t agree with you more, Kim.

According to a new study by The Commonwealth Fund, showcased in this piece by Cake Health, 32% (or 49 million) adults between the ages of 19 and 64 spent 10% or more of their household income on premiums and total out-of-pocket costs.  For a bit of comparison, most experts recommend that people spend only 2-8% total on health.

Even more concerning is that the study reports that the number of families struggling to pay medical bills is only growing.  This struggle is highlighted by the fundraisers on GiveForward as the number of fundraisers started increases daily.

Our question is, do you think this will change?  As the government struggles with debt itself, will the average American continue to face these kinds of financial issues or will the Affordable Care Act change this, as some suggest it will?  If not, what can Americans do to cope with increasing medical expenses (besides creating a GiveForward page, of course)?

The Chicago incubator is offering its entrepreneurs $50,000 in convertible debt, with no discount or cap, from New World Ventures, one of the Midwest’s largest early stage funds.

The money is available to Excelerate’s 2011 class of ten startup companies.  This offering allows these companies access to capital without locking in valuation terms today. As TechCrunch says, the “offering is bound to be popular amongst the startups in Excelerate’s program”.

To be fair, we might be a little biased because GiveForward is an Excelerate Labs startup with investment from New World Ventures, but we are excited to welcome what is sure to be an amazing new class of companies to the Chicago startup scene!

During this month’s discussion, Ethan & Desiree spoke about how crowdfunding is empowering small-scale donors to find new meaning in giving.  They explored the recent increase in online giving and the role that crowdfunding sites played in allowing individuals to promote a cause or project and allow a greater sense of connection between donors and recipients.

Most importantly, the GiveForward co-founders highlighted the way that crowdfunding sites are empowering donors because they allow people to give directly to the cause they care about, allowing donors to gain a greater sense of impact from their gifts as well as giving them a sense of connection the project, prompting them to share this cause with their network.

Want to learn more about the call, including how crowdfunding sites satisfy three major desires for donors? Click here to download the call and listen in!

Working with the Startup America Partnership, Startup Illinois is a collaboration of mentors, advisors, funders, major corporations, service providers and  government organizations focused on helping entrepreneurs start and scale companies in Illinois.

Friday’s launch party included 100 of the states up-and-coming entrepreneurs, politicians and investors, all gathered together to welcome Startup Illinois.

“Innovation is the key to being competitive in the global marketplace, which is why we must do everything we can to help our businesses develop new and innovative ideas and technologies,” said Governor Quinn. “Given our commitment to fostering innovation and helping businesses grow, it is only fitting that Startup America Partnership chose Illinois as its first Startup region.”

GiveForward is proud to welcome Startup Illinois to the entrepreneurial scene and we look forward to the exciting things to come from this collaboration.

Take a look at the video put together by the Illinois Innovation Network and local entrepreneurs, including GiveForward, discussing why Chicago is such a hub for startups.

Illinois Innovation Network & Startup America Partnership from Orlando Saez on Vimeo.

Kevin Dodge needed a kidney and when his longtime friend, Matt Oliver, learned of the need, Matt was happy to step up and help.  Now, the two men and their journey are being chronicled by a local news station.

The procedure was a journey in more than one sense, as both Kevin and Matt had to travel hundreds of miles back and forth from the hospital for tests in the weeks leading up to the transplant.  That is why the friends and family of Kevin and Matt joined together to fundraise to help cover transportation and out-of-pocket expenses associated with the procedure.

Kevin, who works as a Master Control Operator for KLFY in Louisiana, received the kidney last weekend and both men are doing well as they recover from the procedure.  Watch here to hear in their own words what going through this journey together means to them: Special Report: A Gift of Life.

The article tells Desiree’s story about the inspiration behind GiveForward, how she met GiveForward’s co-founder Ethan and why GiveForward stands out in the crowd.    Be sure to check out the video in which Desiree and her fellow Women to Watch discuss their journeys and the ‘a-ha’ moments along the way.

Women to Watch 2011: Part 6 of 6

Desiree Vargas Wrigley

29 | CEO, co-founder | GiveForward | Chicago

After graduating from Yale seven years ago, Ms. Wrigley was back home in Kansas City, Mo., waiting tables and trying to score a job in corporate philanthropy. A résumé passed to a customer landed her a job with the Kansas City-based Kauffman Foundation, where she worked with college-age entrepreneurs.

Her interest in combining philanthropy with new business models was piqued, but it wasn’t until Hurricane Katrina hit that her idea crystallized.

Read more: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20110430/ISSUE02/110429830/women-to-watch-2011-part-6-of-6#ixzz1LDFFt5Xp

While the family grapples with the health care system, their friends and family are coming together to help Kai by donating to assist with medical and daily living expenses.  Earlier this week, Kai and her family shared her story with a local radio station…

Special Feature: Kai’s Pain

Megan Lynch

March 25, 2011 5:00 AM

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOX) – Imagine being in so much pain — all over your body — you couldn’t stand to be touched.

That’s daily life for an 11-year-old St. Louis girl.

“Sometimes it’s aching.  Sometimes it’s burning.  Sometimes it’s shooting,” explains Kai Radford.

It all started last summer during a day at Forest Park.  Kai and her family were riding their bikes.  She took a hard fall.

To hear more about Kai’s fight head over here to listen on KMOX.

Savannah Wood, a 24-year old woman with Cystic Fibrosis, found out that she needed a double lung transplant, and that this procedure was no longer covered by insurance.

Now Savannah and her friends and family are faced with the seemingly impossible task of raising the money to cover the cost of the surgery.  Her loved ones turned to GiveForward, and Savannah bravely stepped forward to tell her story so others in her position know they aren’t alone.

Desiree is excited to be in such great company and is honored by the recognition.  Thanks Meghan!

Female Founders: Overcoming The Cupcake Challenge And ‘Mompreneur’ Stigma

Lost among all the buzz about the uber-funded successes of Gilt Groupe, Beautylish and Etsy, three successful online businesses which rely heavily–if not exclusively–on the power of the female click and credit card, is the fact that all three companies were actually founded by men. No, the founding owners were not Alexis Maybank, Mariam Naficy and Maria Thomas, but rather Kevin Ryan, Vu Nguyen and Rob Kalin, respectively.

While there are several prominent women who have launched their own startups and received VC funding–including Amanda Steinberg of DailyWorth,  Rashmi Sinah, co-founder of SlideShare, Robin Chase, founder of ZipCar, Caterina Fake who co-founded Flickr and spearheaded Hunch.com–over 90% of VC money goes to men, even for businesses with a female consumer base.

Gallery: Ten Female Entrepreneurs To Watch

Why? Is a female-led venture more of a gamble? Is it that women just don’t fit the mold in an industry that places its bets based on what’s known as “pattern recognition?”

Click here to read the full article.