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When Christiann Meneses was told she had Stage 4 colon cancer, disbelief was her first reaction.
She was working two jobs, felt healthy, and couldn’t wrap her mind around the diagnosis. But as a single mother of four, the weight of the news quickly turned into one urgent question: How would she take care of her children while fighting for her life?
That’s when she found The Singletons, a nonprofit that steps in to help single parents battling cancer by providing meals, household necessities, and other critical support
“When you get that diagnosis, and then you have to tell somebody — it’s hard for you, but it’s even harder for them,” Christiann said. “In a sense, you’re their lifeline. They look to you for everything.”
From that moment, her focus shifted from fear to action. She needed to find a way to keep her family stable during one of the toughest battles of her life.
When she walked into The Singletons for the first time, Christiann says she was met with warmth and understanding.
“Tilly was just bright and happy,” she recalled. “She has such a calming aura. Talking with her and having her walk me through everything felt so welcoming.”
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The Singletons was founded by Jody Boyd 20 years ago in memory of her childhood friend, Michelle Singleton — a 30‑year‑old single mother of four who passed away after a 15‑month battle with breast cancer.
“Watching her go through her cancer journey was eye‑opening,” Boyd said. “Running a home and meeting your daily needs becomes incredibly challenging when you’re fighting cancer.”
Since then, Boyd has helped countless families navigate life during a diagnosis.
“Families just want to be families,” she said. “They want normal experiences and happiness, but cancer completely changes the game.”
She believes Michelle would be proud of the impact her story has inspired: “I like to think she’d be right here with us, doing this work.”
For Christiann, the help has been nothing short of life‑changing.
“I don’t think I could have gotten through this without The Singletons,” she said. “There were months when I didn’t know how we were going to make it, and then I’d hear, ‘Hey, we have distribution,’ and I was like, ‘Thank God.’”
Through its work, The Singletons gives single parents fighting cancer the chance to focus on what truly matters: their health — and their families. To learn more, you can visit www.thesingletonsaz.org
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