I hope you understand that I have to ask
Hey there gang,
Jen here. Well - the 3 Day is just 3 weeks away!!!! I am excited, but a little scared too. Just reading all of the inspirational stories from people who have participated make it seem like it is really going to be a positive, life-changing event.
Now - to just make sure I can participate! I am soooo close to hitting my needed $2,200 to participate - only $345 to go! And that is where I need YOUR help (and I really do).
If you have thought about helping out the cause - even an inkling - please do. Help me - help someone else. This is a really great program I am walking for. The Susan G. Komen foundation does amazing things for people - and things you might not have even thought about. One of those things is helping cancer patients deal with the daunting financial burden of cancer treatment.
I have become VERY intimate with the health care 'crunch' that is put on the middle (working) class since having Evie. All of the complications surrounding her birth opened my eyes to the sheer magnitude of health care costs that are not covered by insurance. In fact, it has cost us quite dearly. Now imagine if it would have been breast cancer??
I was very fortunate to have the means to help someone very near and dear to me financially when she was diagnosed with breast cancer several years ago. They were denying her treatment until she could come up with the 'preliminary money'. It made me sick. She had health insurance - but it didn't cover the unbelievable 'deductible' needed for her to get the treatment she needed. As soon as I heard, I gave her the money with no strings because I couldn't imagine anyone not getting treatment for something that could be cured! Ridiculous.
So now I'd like to ask the same of you. No strings - just the knowledge in your heart that you are helping out a good cause. Also - you get a tax write-off and you can say that you 'helped' someone. Really helped. I know its money - its not something tangible. But - it translates into tangible things. Life-saving things. Please help me make a difference.
Ok - that is my last plea. I really hope you are able to help if you can. If not -I understand - I just gotta ask. For those of you angels on my list that have already contributed to this wonderful cause - thank you from the bottom of my heart.
With all my love,
jen
(please find some interesting resources below for breast cancer. Please pass them on - they could help someone who really needs the help)
Finding the Money to Fight Cancer
Breast Cancer isn't just devastating physically and emotionally; it can be financially crippling as well. The average out-of-pocket expense for a cancer patient is: $35,878.
How many of us have that kind of emergency cash set aside?
Nearly 1 million Americans file for bankruptcy every year because of medical bills, which contribute to more than half the bankruptcies in the United States each year, a 2005 Harvard study showed. These people are harldy deadbeats; Most are homeowners who had been to college and held responsible jobs. Even more surprisingly, more than 3/4ths of those bankrupted by illness had health insurance, researchers found.
Part of the problem is that many of today's health insurance policies, with high deductibles, copays, exclusions and loopholes, offer scant protection during a serious illness. Even policies with yearly out-of-pocket maximums that seem comprehensive may hit you with additional payments if the company won't pay more than "usual and customary" fees and your doctor charges more, or if it excludes certain types of treatment altogether. Adding to the misery, illness often forces breadwinners to take time off from work, because they're sick themselves or they have to care for an ailing family member, precipitating a downward financial spiral. 1
As the bills pile up, it's worth checking to see whether your loved qualifies for financial help for breast cancer or another serious illness. The programs listed below aren't just for low-income families or those without insurance; some also help those who are insured handle the expense of breast cancer or other illnesses. Other groups on the list may not provide cash help, but offer free counseling or other support services regardless of income. Use this list to identify state and local groups, as well as to contact national organizations and government funders.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure
800-IMAWARE
Provides referrals to local resources that provide funding, as well as nationwide assistance programs, based on patients' eligibility.
Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization
800-221-2141
Offers the country's only 24-hour hotline staffed by trained breast cancer survivors, with interpreters in 150 languages. Refers callers to local groups that provide funding.
CancerCare
800-813-HOPE
Trained social workers provide free in-person, online, and phone counseling and support services for all types of cancer and for anyone dealing with a cancer diagnosis, not only patients themselves. Limited financial grants available to qualifying patients for prostheses, oral medication, medical equipment, transportation, and even babysitters.
Patient Access Network Foundation
866-316-7263
Will help defray expenses for prescription therapies; income criteria for eligibility can vary, but a family of four making up to four times the poverty level annually may qualify. Covers many serious illnesses, including several types of cancer, multiple sclerosis, macular degeneration, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF)
800-532-5274
Acts as a liaison among patients, their physicians, and insurance companies to ensure access to care and to help maintain patients' financial stability. Under the Copay Relief Program, provides direct copay assistance for pharmaceutical products, including drugs and chemotherapy. The "National Financial Resources Guide" lists by state the local agencies that can offer financial help; download it free from the PAF Web site or call for a free hard copy.
Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Act
Centers for Disease Control
Control and Prevention, Division of Cancer
800-CDC-INFO
Guarantees breast cancer and cervical cancer screening for low-income women (income ceilings vary by state but generally cap at 250 percent of the federal poverty level -- that means $25,525 for a single woman this year; $51,625 for a family of four). Women diagnosed through this program can qualify for free treatment. Web site lists contacts for all states.
Social Security and Medicare
800-772-1213
To qualify, a woman must be considered permanently disabled, which means she cannot work because she has a medical condition expected to last a year or more, or to result in death. She can earn up to $900 a month and still be eligible. There is a five-month waiting period from the time disability is diagnosed; regular Social Security disability checks start on the sixth month. Two years after someone starts receiving disability checks, she automatically also gets Medicare coverage for hospital and outpatient care.
GlaxoSmithKline Tykerb(r) CARES
866-4-TYKERB (866-489-5372)
Patients or physicians can call for assistance in obtaining Tykerb and answers to Tykerb-related questions. Reimbursement counselors help breast cancer patients understand their insurance coverage and assist in identifying alternative financial support.
National Breast Cancer Coalition
800-622-2838
A grassroots organization that works to increase federal funding for breast cancer and improve access to clinical trials for women. Its informational booklet, "Guide to Quality Breast Cancer Care," can be downloaded from the Web site.
Genentech Single Point of Contact (SPOC)
888-249-4918
Genentech, maker of the breast cancer drugs Herceptin and Avastin, set up SPOC as a reimbursement resource for its products. Eligible patients can receive free medicine, referrals for copay assistance, and other reimbursement support. Some programs are open to patients who have health insurance, others only to those without.
--
One Mile, One Life at a Time
www.the3day.org/dallas07/jengilligan
blog about the experience: http://soshewonthaveto.wordpress.com/
1 - Ladies Home Journal "The Cost of Cancer Care" - October 2007