Post Cancer Treatment for Megan Goodman
Donation protected
What happens when you beat cancer, but the chemo drugs leave your immune system wrecked?
Our sister Megan was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in October 2018 (when her son Teddy was only 5 months old). She handled the sudden news of the diagnosis and the ongoing suffering that would quickly follow with more strength and grace than anyone I know. Despite enduring the intense side effects of the chemo and medications pumped into her system, weeks at a time of being drained of all energy and physical strength…Megan would approach each day of that season with joy, a hopeful spirit, and a smile. She was still a fully invested and selfless mama to Teddy, wife to Kyle, and a loving, loyal sister and friend.
In July 2019 she was told she was "cancer free", but as she was soon to learn, not everyone's body bounces back from chemo the same way and she would have another battle ahead of her.
For Megan, her immune system—specifically her body's ability to produce white blood cells necessary to protect her body from infection and disease—has yet to recover from the intensity of the chemotherapy.
What does this mean? Well, it means her compromised immune system has to be artificially propped up by injectable medications every 3 weeks, along with consistent monitoring for viral/ bacterial infections that could quickly escalate to life-threatening infections.
Even now, 8+ months removed from her "cancer free" diagnosis, she has to monitor any onset of illness or potential fever, with the looming threat of being hospitalized with just a simple fever of 101 °F.
Thankfully, the injections to boost her white blood cell count have been working. Every three weeks she receives an injection (which causes several days of intense bone pain, aches, nausea, fatigue) and then at the end of a 3 week cycle, she goes in for a blood test to see how her white blood cell count is, with the hopes that one of these months her body will kick it into gear and start doing its job again. The injections literally serve as her immune system until her body decides to wake up to producing its own defense system again.
The cost of these life-saving medications and procedures for Megan are insane without insurance coverage. And, here’s the crappy part: She was just informed by her health insurance company that they will not cover any of the cost of her previous injections or future injections.
The very injections that give her some semblance of an immune system and literally keep her alive are being punted on by the health insurance company—which at $16,000 a month is no small pill to swallow for a young family.
In spite of the fact that Kyle's employer is supposed to have incredible benefits for their employees, and that Megan requires these injections to live, Megan and Kyle are forced to figure out how to pay for the last several months and the undetermined future treatments.
We are trying to raise funds to help Megan, Kyle, and Teddy pay for her continued treatment. All the money gathered here will go directly to helping the Goodmans offset the burden of the medical bills.
Thank you guys so much for loving them so well, and generously helping the Goodman family.
Our sister Megan was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma in October 2018 (when her son Teddy was only 5 months old). She handled the sudden news of the diagnosis and the ongoing suffering that would quickly follow with more strength and grace than anyone I know. Despite enduring the intense side effects of the chemo and medications pumped into her system, weeks at a time of being drained of all energy and physical strength…Megan would approach each day of that season with joy, a hopeful spirit, and a smile. She was still a fully invested and selfless mama to Teddy, wife to Kyle, and a loving, loyal sister and friend.
In July 2019 she was told she was "cancer free", but as she was soon to learn, not everyone's body bounces back from chemo the same way and she would have another battle ahead of her.
For Megan, her immune system—specifically her body's ability to produce white blood cells necessary to protect her body from infection and disease—has yet to recover from the intensity of the chemotherapy.
What does this mean? Well, it means her compromised immune system has to be artificially propped up by injectable medications every 3 weeks, along with consistent monitoring for viral/ bacterial infections that could quickly escalate to life-threatening infections.
Even now, 8+ months removed from her "cancer free" diagnosis, she has to monitor any onset of illness or potential fever, with the looming threat of being hospitalized with just a simple fever of 101 °F.
Thankfully, the injections to boost her white blood cell count have been working. Every three weeks she receives an injection (which causes several days of intense bone pain, aches, nausea, fatigue) and then at the end of a 3 week cycle, she goes in for a blood test to see how her white blood cell count is, with the hopes that one of these months her body will kick it into gear and start doing its job again. The injections literally serve as her immune system until her body decides to wake up to producing its own defense system again.
The cost of these life-saving medications and procedures for Megan are insane without insurance coverage. And, here’s the crappy part: She was just informed by her health insurance company that they will not cover any of the cost of her previous injections or future injections.
The very injections that give her some semblance of an immune system and literally keep her alive are being punted on by the health insurance company—which at $16,000 a month is no small pill to swallow for a young family.
In spite of the fact that Kyle's employer is supposed to have incredible benefits for their employees, and that Megan requires these injections to live, Megan and Kyle are forced to figure out how to pay for the last several months and the undetermined future treatments.
We are trying to raise funds to help Megan, Kyle, and Teddy pay for her continued treatment. All the money gathered here will go directly to helping the Goodmans offset the burden of the medical bills.
Thank you guys so much for loving them so well, and generously helping the Goodman family.
Organizer and beneficiary
Dave Allee
Organizer
Newport Beach, CA
Megan Goodman
Beneficiary