CANADA: What started out as a simple, selfless idea to help women cancer patients, has grown into an incredible organisation spanning all 50 states and Canada.

After receiving a call from a woman with cancer who said that she was unable to afford the professional cleaning offered by Buckets and Bows Maid Service, owner Debbie Sardone decided to never again charge clients who were undergoing cancer treatment.

She founded ‘Cleaning for a Reason,’ an organisation that provides professional cleaning to women undergoing cancer treatment. Since 2006, the organisation has expanded across the United States and Canada, has partnered with almost 2,000 maid services and donated $4 million worth of services to more than 14,000 women.

Housecleaning can be a source of stress for women diagnosed with cancer, with its treatments often leaving patients fatigued and unable to carry out everyday tasks. One testimonal on the organisation’s website from Katherine in Montclair, Virginia, reads:

“I can’t tell you how nice it was to come home to a professionally cleaned house after a loooooong day in the chemo chair. Can’t thank you enough!”