Kim Has Cancer

Kim has been my best friend since I was 12 years old. She was diagnosed with an aggressive breast cancer in September 2017. To date, she has had multiple biopsies, imaging, specialists visits and surgery. She has now begun radiation treatments which need to be done at a hospital an hour and a half from her home because her cancer is on the left side near her heart and that is the only hospital anywhere near her that has the special equipment which will avoid damaging her heart. Kim is single and the sole source of support. She works full-time at our local hospital and is what I call the working poor. She continued to do her very physical job with 9 herniated disks until all of this started. She has currently exhausted her savings and checking accounts trying to keep up with the portion of her medical bills not covered by her insurance. She also has exhausted her sick and vacation days. She will receive no paycheck for four weeks until her short-term disability kicks in which will then pay her 50% of her normal earnings. In the midst of all of this, her car engine blew up and she needed to replace the engine. Going forward, she needs to get to the hospital for her radiation 5 days a week for a month. Parking at the hospital is $220 for the month, tolls are $80 a month, and then there is gas on top of that. Our new plan is for her to take the train and then Uber to the hospital as she doesn't have a ride several days and won't feel like driving herself.  A monthly pass is $122.50, parking at the station is $30 a month and the Uber ride yesterday was $11 during a non-surge time, which will add up to $220 a month minimum. Her daughter will provide a ride one from the train station to the hospital, but then needs to be at work herself, so Kim will need to Uber to return to the train station daily. Kim still needs to meet with the oncologist to talk about chemotherapy and/or hormone therapy. This will require several more visits, medications and bills. Kim would never ask anyone for help, so I am doing that for her. The situation is dire or I would not ask. Kim is completely out of money and no one with cancer should ever have to deal with this kind of financial stress on top of all the fear and emotional turmoil that accompanies this all. Please help if you can. No amount is to small.