Hey everyone, Adam here. I want to first start by thanking each and everyone of you for your generosity and support throughout my extensive and complicated battle with leukemia. I cannot express just how much this has helped me, as the rigors of this battle have been ever-changing, unexpected, frightening, and yes, costly. And unfortunately, this battle has persisted into a new phase, for which I am humbly asking for further financial assistance. I am going to try to unveil the costs of two years of fighting cancer. DISCLAIMER: This is not a way to make money, it is simply for educational purposes.

I currently owe almost $600,000 to the local hospital system that provides my treatments. This includes copays, tests, labs, scans, chemotherapy, ER visits, coinsurance, and costs not covered or denied by insurance. The hospital does work with you, but they require some effort to pay to sustain some services, and not pursue legal action.

Due to level of care and observation I need, and the high risk of my condition, I stay in a LTC facility. It’s approximately $600/day just for room and board, this does not cover medications, which I take 15 a day with one costing over $800 per pill. Insurance makes a huge dent in these costs, which still totals in the thousands each month. I had to have two medical procedures recently, which I have spent two weeks on multiple IV medications, being seen by a specialized wound nurse practitioner, and doing cardiac rehab. To allow this, the facility required a calculated down payment which was originally $6k, but ended up being almost $8.5k. The business office is estimating after insurance, I will still owe them around $24k, and they are not as patient as the hospital.

Let’s go to more normal expenses. Simple examples are things like basic cell phone bill.

My body is extremely sensitive and the shampoo, lotions, soap, and deodorant they provide causes severe reactions. They can order it special for me, but it’s cheaper for me to buy myself.

Let’s talk nutrition; I’m sure it’s no secret that nursing home food is disgusting. The last thing you want to do coming home sick from chemo is eat a big helping of pig slop. I try to get some healthy fresher foods that not only taste better, but my stomach can handle. I always keep ginger drinks on hand as a supplement to my nausea medication. I am constantly out of balance with my electrolytes, and teetering on malnourishment, so meal replacement bars and drinks are a must.

One last thing that I usually keep to myself is clothes. My whole life I’ve had weight issues that could never be resolved. Getting sick has caused me to lose pounds in the triple digits, leaving no clothes that fit. Despite all this, the charts still say I’m overweight and I’ve been dreading getting clothes. I normally just wear the slip on gowns they have here because they fit, and are comfortable after chemo.

First of March I started getting Medicaid so many costs will decrease or vanish. I’ll still have small copays, and all the personal expenses mentioned, along with past and current bills already accrued.

I hope this helps some understand how a $20k gofundme, while so helpful, and appreciated doesn’t put me in the financial position you may think it does.

If you've made it this far, thank you so much for your time, your understanding, and your support. I cannot emphasize enough just how helpful this has been.