Donation protected
In July 2020, my wife had her routine mammogram. After not hearing anything from the radiologist a while, we assumed everything was OK. Then in August we received a disturbing call that all may not be well, and additional tests were needed. In September, our world stopped – my beloved wife received a confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer. She began treatment soon after, starting chemotherapy after having a port installed just underneath her left collarbone. Chemotherapy is brutal, and my wife is suffering from terrible side effects - near-constant pain, neuropathy (numbness of her extremities), weakness, joint pain, peeling and thinning skin, hair loss, compromised eyesight, a compromised immune system...
Because of this, my wife was forced to go on extended unpaid leave, so we lost her income on the heels of me losing a job due to COVID-19 and taking one with much lower pay. We have run through our savings and are on the knife’s edge of financial disaster. It’s not only the medical bills and the loss of income – we have been paying her insurance premiums. There are also the medications my wife requires to mitigate the chemo side effects. It has come to the point to where we must begin to choose which bills to pay, and to make other difficult decisions – do we continue to pay the premiums, which will soon increase, or put her on my insurance and risk disrupting her treatment? How do we deal with the upcoming expenses of surgery? Who will care for her during her recovery period? Will there be any additional costs for aftercare or dealing with lingering chemotherapy side effects? Will there be a need for any advanced or experimental treatments if her condition worsens?
Those of you who are going through this, or have been through this, will know what we are facing. For those of you who have not, I pray that you never will. Cancer is not something you expect or plan for, and it is devastating when it comes to haunt your life. The fear, anxiety, stress, and the waiting and hoping… the feeling of helplessness, that I cannot ease her suffering…
My wife, my best friend, my love, my life… she is the most important thing to me, she is too young and vital to lose this battle… Though she is a fierce warrior fighting this beast, showing strength we never knew she had, and I am supporting her and fighting by her side - I must swallow my pride and admit that we cannot do this alone. Cancer is taking pieces of us, but every little bit will help us start to get the pieces back together.
Because of this, my wife was forced to go on extended unpaid leave, so we lost her income on the heels of me losing a job due to COVID-19 and taking one with much lower pay. We have run through our savings and are on the knife’s edge of financial disaster. It’s not only the medical bills and the loss of income – we have been paying her insurance premiums. There are also the medications my wife requires to mitigate the chemo side effects. It has come to the point to where we must begin to choose which bills to pay, and to make other difficult decisions – do we continue to pay the premiums, which will soon increase, or put her on my insurance and risk disrupting her treatment? How do we deal with the upcoming expenses of surgery? Who will care for her during her recovery period? Will there be any additional costs for aftercare or dealing with lingering chemotherapy side effects? Will there be a need for any advanced or experimental treatments if her condition worsens?
Those of you who are going through this, or have been through this, will know what we are facing. For those of you who have not, I pray that you never will. Cancer is not something you expect or plan for, and it is devastating when it comes to haunt your life. The fear, anxiety, stress, and the waiting and hoping… the feeling of helplessness, that I cannot ease her suffering…
My wife, my best friend, my love, my life… she is the most important thing to me, she is too young and vital to lose this battle… Though she is a fierce warrior fighting this beast, showing strength we never knew she had, and I am supporting her and fighting by her side - I must swallow my pride and admit that we cannot do this alone. Cancer is taking pieces of us, but every little bit will help us start to get the pieces back together.
Organizer
Phillip Foster
Organizer
Alpharetta, GA