Help Lilah Kick Cancer's Ass!

Hello All!

For those of you who don’t already know me, my name is Lilah. I am a proud, single, tenacious 55-year-old African American woman recently diagnosed with Stage 1A Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (HER2 –, Hormone +). In other words, I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

While the mortality rate of breast cancer among black women is really scary, I am very blessed that mine was caught early at the beginning stages during my annual mammogram, and my prognosis is very good. The tumor is very small and it is a nonaggressive type of cancer. Ladies, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of consistently getting those annual mammograms and getting them on time!

From my initial diagnosis, things have been moving very fast. Treatment is intense. So far I’ve had a bunch of follow-up mammograms and ultrasounds, biopsies of the cancerous tissues and adjacent lymph nodes, and a radioactive “seed” put in to mark the area for my upcoming surgery tomorrow. On a side note – that “seed” beeps when read by a Geiger counter!!! If I was on a beach near one of those beachcombers with a metal detector scanning the sand for treasure, my boob would beep! I told my BFF it’s a good thing we don’t have one because we would totally get into some mischief. Yeah, I am THAT girl – LOL.

I have an amazing team and I am getting wonderful care, and I feel fortunate that I have access to such fantastic providers. They have been so supportive from the very beginning including with the mental and emotional toll a diagnosis like this brings. During yesterday’s pre-surgical procedure, different members of my care team were singing and dancing to 80s disco with me, jamming to Don Henley’s first solo album with me, and generally doing everything possible to make the best of a bad situation and an uncomfortable procedure more palatable.

Following my surgery, I will start daily radiation for a minimum of four weeks, followed by a lot of follow-up care over the next year or two. I have a decent job with decent insurance and a very understanding employer that I am grateful for, but I am not prepared for the expenses that come with treatment. I live paycheck to paycheck, and after paying my basic living expenses, there is very little leftover. I am already struggling to pay all the unanticipated copays and I haven’t even got the bills for the treatment I’ve received so far (the follow-up mammograms, ultrasounds, biopsies, other tests, and prep for surgery). As a single person, I’m over income for most assistance programs but don’t make enough for anything over my basic living expenses.

I am currently working with my Oncology Nurse Navigator, the treatment center’s billing office, and my health insurance to get good cost estimates of what my treatment will cost, and should have more concrete information in a couple of weeks. My insurance has an annual out-of-pocket maximum, but it is a whole lot more than my annual discretionary income.  Some of my care has set copays between $35-$300 and some of my care is covered at 50%, but so far at least one of the services and products I need are covered but do not have an in-network vendor in my local area so I will have to pay out of pocket. I will also have expenses not covered at all like comfortable, loose-fitting tunic shirts (size 18 or XXL).

Normally, I work at least two jobs at a time. Prior to the pandemic, I drove for Uber and Lyft, and after the onset of the pandemic, I switched to delivering food and groceries for Postmates as well as working a regular, full-time job. I can no longer work a second job right now, and my income is substantially less. I know money is tight for everyone right now, but I would appreciate any help you can provide – including work-appropriate shirts I can wear while I am recovering from surgery and going through radiation, as I plan to work as much as possible throughout my treatment.

And hey – I should be on the other side of this by Labor Day weekend (my birthday weekend). If anyone wants to take me to see Korn, Cypress Hill, Jane’s Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, or Snoop Dogg at this year’s Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, I’m totally down with that! That would be a helluva way to celebrate kicking cancer’s ass!

Thank you for reading my request, and please consider sharing it as much as possible.

Love,

Lilah