I believe in God and the power of prayer. I also believe sometimes God will use those He has connected us with whether through Family Members, Friends, Church Family, Classmates, or Co-Workers in order to become that vessel God will use to bring about a blessing in each other’s lives. God has richly blessed me and my family both present and throughout my life, and I am grateful to Him for each person in my life.


On August 11th of this year, I underwent a surgical excisional biopsy of my left breast following a diagnostic mammogram which revealed a very small area. I wasn’t too concerned at the time, mainly because I have no family history of Breast Cancer and was assured by my OB/GYN, my radiologist, my General Surgeon, and a Breast Care Specialist that it did not appear to look suspicious and was probably just a benign papilloma. I still remember sitting with my husband in the exam room while the surgeon delivered the results from my pathology report…Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. Needless to say, we were shocked! As we held each other, tears flowing, I whispered…”Lord, I will praise You in this storm”. What a storm it has been, both emotionally and spiritually. If you’re a Believer, then you already can identify some of your own storms in your life, those times when the unexpected happens and leaves you feeling helpless, hopeless, and broken in your spirit. But, we know God IS a Big God and He is a miracle working God! Looking back during those storms we each have had to face, difficult circumstances, God was Faithful then and He is ever faithful now to see us through the storms of life.


Just prior to having my routine diagnostic mammogram in July, I signed up with an insurance plan only to discover later that the plan was very limited and did not even have a surgery benefit. I knew I needed to switch plans to cover major/medical, however, within weeks I was diagnosed and now had what is referred to as a “pre-existing condition”. After several phone calls to multiple insurance carriers, I was told the same thing. My options were to wait until November 1st for Open Enrollment for Obamacare or sign up now but that my pre-existing condition would not be covered for at least 12 months.

After meeting with my surgical oncologist at the Stephanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center in Columbus, Ohio and two additional biopsies including an MRI to confirm the extent of cancer cell growth, it was recommended to me that I have surgical procedure to remove my left breast along with almost all of my lymph nodes. My surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, October 20th. Since my insurance plan does not cover any surgery, we knew this was going to be an astronomical expense. In speaking with a financial counselor at the medical center about our situation and lack of insurance coverage, she informed me that their Chief Financial Officer had agreed to discount the surgery cost by 60% due to our being self-pay, but that they were requiring an upfront payment of $5,000 on the day of my surgery. Being less than a week away from my surgery, I let her know how grateful we were for the deduction but that I would need to pray about this and give this to God. The total estimated cost of my surgery is $35,000 and with 60% rate reduction would leave us with a balance of around $14,000 out of pocket cost.


I am raising funds to only cover the medical expenses for my surgery and post-operative care and treatment that I will be responsible for out of pocket. Your charitable contribution will be used towards my medical expenses and I plan to post updates of my progress. I am trusting God for my complete healing and by faith believing Him to make provision for meeting our financial needs as well.  I only ask you to prayerfully consider any gift that God lays on your heart, and if you’re unable to at this time, I would appreciate your covering me and my family in prayer. Again, I thank each of you for the special person you are in my life and I thank you in advance for your consideration to support my cause.

Warmest Blessings,

Lee Ann Bower

Proverbs 3: 5-6