OUR STORY

JUST-a-BREAK was inspired and founded by Jen and Greg Thorpe. In 2013, Jen was diagnosed with cancer. After enduring months of doctor visits, tests, treatments, and endless challenges, a family friend gifted the Thorpe family tickets to a Utah Jazz game, complete with parking and dinner. After the game, Jen said, "Wasn't it so nice to have a break from thinking about or talking about cancer?" For the first time in a long while, she felt normal. For just a few hours, she didn't have to focus on the emotional, physical, and financial burdens that had become a daily reality.

This experience moved the Thorpes to start purchasing gift cards for fuel, dining, and entertainment, which they anonymously gifted to other cancer patients at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. What began as random acts of kindness soon grew into a greater mission. The Thorpes decided to form JUST-a-BREAK, an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to extend that feeling of relief to as many cancer patients as possible.

Jen passed away in December 2015, but her legacy of kindness and compassion lives on through JUST-a-BREAK. By 2024, we have provided over 850 "break" packages to local cancer patients and their caregivers. Our mission is to continue offering cancer patients a much-needed break from the emotional, physical, and financial toll of cancer.

If you believe in this mission, please consider donating or getting involved!