Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Cancer vs Medical Expenses: Which Will Kill You First?

Those in my direct line of fire have heard me rant with frustration about the financial burden my cancer puts on me and my family. I work full time and have good medical benefits. But, the money that flies out the door to continue my treatment has me in constant worry about having to sell our home. I pay my bills on time, but when I was on disability for three months, things got really sketchy. I have a beautiful home, put food on my table, heat my home and my child is properly attired. I am not destitute, just very, very, very overwhelmed.

BUT, I also acknowledged that I am among the lucky ones who can work, and have benefits. If it comes to it, I can sell my house and move into a condo to continue paying for co-pays, prescriptions and, oh, more co-pays and prescriptions. That's life, right? I know many others fare far worse monetarily than I because of their cancer. THIS is about one of them.

Assertive Cancer Patient posted the other day about Andrea, a woman she recently met who is facing Stage IV breast cancer as a single mother of a three-year-old. She is on disability and struggling very badly to make ends meet. She posts about it here and has set up a fundraiser to help Andrea out. She is hoping to collect enough money for Andrea to buy enough groceries for the next month. If you can, please consider making a donation.

Teri, The Cheeky Librarian, has also entered the scene to get some assistance behind Andrea. She shares her opinions on the topic the costs of cancer to the individual patient and helpfully includes links to possible sources of funds, for those of you who need financial assistance.

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