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Being Sick Ain’t Easy!
That was the day that changed my life, challenged my thoughts and put everything that I've worked for into a fog. How could I have breast cancer?? There was NEVER any cancer of any sort in my family history and I've always worked very hard through exercise, eating right and affirming good health all my life. So how could this be? Well, asking the question over and over again really didn't get me any answers, so I decided to put on my Big Girl Panties and figure out what I needed to do to save my life. As I said earlier, I went from going months between doctor visits to seeing four different doctors with four different specialties, at least once per week. Sometimes I have to see all of them in one week! Then there are the procedures, tests, scans and needle sticks and pricks. It can and does get overwhelming. But, I'm hanging in there. But the most overwhelming part of this journey is the cost. It's astronomical how much this breast cancer thing is costing me. I know, “no amount is too much” to save my life, right? That's what I thought and how I feel, but Geez! When you're going through it, all you can really think about is the cash register going Cha-Ching! in your head. Yes, I am fortunate enough to have insurance (for now)—I've heard horror stories about refusals, rejections and God Forbid!—reaching you maximum lifetime insurance limit—but insurance doesn't cover everything. As you know, there are co-pays and the dreaded coverage split. Most insurance companies pay an 80/20 split where the insured pays 20% of the total amount of the bill. Well, if your bill is $200, then $40 isn't a lot, right? But what if one bill is $12,000 and a combination of bills is over $75,000, then 20% of the bill is… let's just say, A LOT! I guess it wouldn't be so bad if my husband and I hadn't already been rocked by a devastating blow earlier this year when he suffered a debilitating Stroke on January 17, 2011. This blow came after he had been laid off for a year and was just getting back on track with a new job of just five months. Even that would have been somewhat manageable, if we hadn't depleted ALL our savings on living for the previous 12 months. But then, we were hit with two more blows, since he had only been on his job for five months, he wasn't eligible for the FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) which guarantees he can take a leave of absence from his job and be eligible for Short-term Disability. Then, his job cancelled his insurance, so there we were no main source of income and no insurance and months of rehab therapy and rehab payments ahead of us. With the Grace of God, Faith and love and caring support from our family and friends, we were able to get through that. We were well on our way back, my husband actually got better. He regained the use of his right side and went back to work in May. We were so happy and on the mend once again. Then, I found the lump and now we're here! So, instead of just “wallowing” in my situation, I've decided to take control and reach out to my community for assistance. I have a long journey ahead of me and more and more money to pay out, procedures to endure (including Chemotherapy), doctors to meet with and medications to purchase and ingest. But, even with all this staring me in the face, I know that I will get through this, survive and THRIVE! I'm asking for your financial assistance, prayers, good vibes and well wishes to help me and my husband get through this and come out on the survivor side.
If you can only assist me by offering prayers and sending good vibes, then I say go for it. I ain't refusing NO prayers! Visit my site on caringbridge.org. Whatever you are able to do, I THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart! Carol Dunlop |
Man, I long for the days when I could go weeks, even months without seeing even one doctor. I've been healthy all my life and can almost count the number of times on my two hands that I've seen doctors for any reason. But now, all that has changed. Actually, everything changed on July 7, 2011. That's the day that I found out that |
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