About Crush Cancer
When you hear the words, “You have cancer”, your world momentarily comes to a screeching halt. You have so many questions. Crush Cancer Napa Valley is a non-profit organization, currently led by cancer survivors/thrivers, that offers educational programs, resources, and financial assistance to patients moving through their cancer journeys. We focus on three main areas: education, resources, and support.
Education: Knowledge is power
You are the most important person on this journey. We help you effectively navigate the physical and emotional challenges throughout treatment and recovery.
Support: You are not alone
We help you connect with others on the journey to help you live your best life.
Resources: When hope is not enough
We understand how cancer can feel overwhelming, financially. We will connect you with sources to ease the burden, so you can focus on your wellbeing.
We help you navigate your journey
in the best possible way.
Meet the Crush Cancer Team
Elizabeth Naylor
Executive Director
(AKA Chief Inspiration Officer)
Elizabeth was born in Great Barrington, MA the youngest child in a family of 13. She moved to Naples, FL where she graduated high school and went onto University of Florida. From there she moved to Yosemite National Park and lived for 5 years, before moving to Napa Valley, where she has resided for the past 27 years. She started her own event planning company- An Event to Remember in 1998 and for nearly 20 years she designed weddings and special events for clients all over the world.
The greatest event of her life came in November of 2004 when her daughter Sophia Madelyn was born. She made a decision in 2013 to close her doors and went to work at Goose & Gander Restaurant in St. Helena as their Event Director, she was with them for 8 years and than the world stopped due to Covid. She took that time to reflect on what she wanted to do moving forward and decided after Covid she would get involved with nonprofit foundations. Just as she was about to embark on her new career, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and everything shifted to her health.
A year and half later, multiple surgeries, 6 months of chemotherapy and 30 rounds of radiation she is now the Executive Director for Crush Cancer Napa Valley (CCNV).
“This is exactly what I wanted to be doing, and now I have the opportunity to give back and help others," says Naylor. It is her full time job and she works tirelessly. “This fills my heart like nothing ever has, and I look forward to taking CCNV to the next level…..stay tuned.
Rayellen Jordan
Founder Emeritus
A lifelong resident of Napa Valley, Rayellen Jordon is the Founder Emeritus of CRUSH CANCER NAPA VALLEY.
Early in her career, a training opportunity at Queen of the Valley Hospital allowed Rayellen to became a tumor registrar, documenting the clinical journey of all new cancer patients, from the onset of symptoms through diagnosis and staging, treatment, and annual follow-up. Rayellen then reported all statistics to the American College of Surgeons for national reporting.
Later, she worked as billing manager of a large chemo-oncology clinic in San Francisco, witnessing the “other side” of cancer, where vulnerable patients undergoing toxic treatment were struggling to maintain home, work and family life during treatments. It was during this time that Rayellen realized many patients needed financial assistance as they went through treatments.
In 2010, Rayellen and her family founded Sisters Crush Breast Cancer through the family-owned business, Sisters Boutique in Yountville, CA. For seven years, Rayellen brought community and businesses together, organizing a yearly 5k race in Yountville to raise funds for breast cancer patients. After seven successful fundraisers, she transitioned this yearly event into a full-fledged non-profit foundation called Crush Cancer Napa Valley.
Rayellen ran Crush Cancer Napa Valley for over 10 years before asking cancer survivor Elizabeth Naylor to take the reins as the new Executive Director of Crush Cancer Napa Valley in October 2022.
