Help with Sara's Cancer Bills
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The short story:
I was diagnosed with stage 1 level 2 melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer, on June 11th of this year. Since then, I have had two biopsies, an extensive leg surgery that left me out of work for several weeks, and an increasingly large stack of medical bills. Although I've been qualified for Obamacare, the bill for my biopsies alone is around $7,000. I have $43,000 pending with no idea how much Obamacare is going to cover.
So now I am not working, and when I return to work it will be to my two part time jobs as a barista and a receptionist at a vet clinic. I am a full time student going for a vetenarian technician degree where I hope to work in critical care. I was planning a wedding, which is now on hold because I need to focus on paying down my medical bills as well as my other bills such as student loan payments, car insurance and cell phone bill.
The long story:
It all started eight years ago when I noticed a large mole on my leg. I asked my parents and they said not to worry about it. I asked my doctor and they glanced at it and said it was fine and not to worry. About two years ago, I noticed the mole was changing -- getting bigger and changing colors.
I asked my parents and again they said it’s just a mole and not to worry. I brushed it off and figured I was just hyper focusing on it. About a year ago it started to spark a lot of concern with my family and they urged me to get it checked. At the time I was dating my now fiancé and we were discussing the future and the last thing I wanted was to get it checked and then be denied getting on his insurance due to a pre-existing condition.
I was diagnosed with stage 1 level 2 melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer, on June 11th of this year. Since then, I have had two biopsies, an extensive leg surgery that left me out of work for several weeks, and an increasingly large stack of medical bills. Although I've been qualified for Obamacare, the bill for my biopsies alone is around $7,000. I have $43,000 pending with no idea how much Obamacare is going to cover.
So now I am not working, and when I return to work it will be to my two part time jobs as a barista and a receptionist at a vet clinic. I am a full time student going for a vetenarian technician degree where I hope to work in critical care. I was planning a wedding, which is now on hold because I need to focus on paying down my medical bills as well as my other bills such as student loan payments, car insurance and cell phone bill.
The long story:
It all started eight years ago when I noticed a large mole on my leg. I asked my parents and they said not to worry about it. I asked my doctor and they glanced at it and said it was fine and not to worry. About two years ago, I noticed the mole was changing -- getting bigger and changing colors.
I asked my parents and again they said it’s just a mole and not to worry. I brushed it off and figured I was just hyper focusing on it. About a year ago it started to spark a lot of concern with my family and they urged me to get it checked. At the time I was dating my now fiancé and we were discussing the future and the last thing I wanted was to get it checked and then be denied getting on his insurance due to a pre-existing condition.
I finally was told pre existing conditions no longer qualified for insurance denial so I was like “okay I will get this looked at once I have better insurance” and to be honest I needed to come to terms that I probably had skin cancer. I caved and went to get it looked, I tried to get an estimate before I went so I could try to be financially prepared but I was provided the estimate of 1,000-6,000 depending on size of the mole and coding.
When I found out I had skin cancer I spoke with an insurance representative and found out I would still qualify for Obama Care even though open enrollment has ended because I have insurance and have had a life changing event. So I called and qualified thankfully. My last day of work before my surgery was July 2nd. I had the skin around the mole removed and the cut went down to my muscle. In order cover the area, they preformed a skin flap, cutting up the leg and stretching the skin down to cover the hole. I woke up to a 6-7 inch scar with about 25 staples and a part of my leg missing.
I'm starting this GoFundMe account to try to help out with my medical bills, in the hopes that I will be able to finish veterinary tech school and get married. Every little bit helps! Thanks for reading my story!
When I found out I had skin cancer I spoke with an insurance representative and found out I would still qualify for Obama Care even though open enrollment has ended because I have insurance and have had a life changing event. So I called and qualified thankfully. My last day of work before my surgery was July 2nd. I had the skin around the mole removed and the cut went down to my muscle. In order cover the area, they preformed a skin flap, cutting up the leg and stretching the skin down to cover the hole. I woke up to a 6-7 inch scar with about 25 staples and a part of my leg missing.
I'm starting this GoFundMe account to try to help out with my medical bills, in the hopes that I will be able to finish veterinary tech school and get married. Every little bit helps! Thanks for reading my story!
Organizer
Erin Antrim
Organizer
Madison, WI
