My Friend Lisa
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Lisa and I met when I was around 7 or 8. I grew up around the corner from her. After nearly twenty years of getting to know her, it is bitter sweet for me to be helping her out at this tough time.
Lisa was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer last October, just days after her 48th birthday. She went to the doctor for a regular yearly exam and the poor differentiated cancer was found. Several months prior, a doctors’ visit for an unrelated medical issue introduced Lisa to a new form of mammogram, a form which has proven its usefulness by detecting the cancer in an earlier stage.
For the last 25 years, Lisa has worked in the medical field. She has always wanted to be a doctor or nurse, but finds herself helping people on the financial side of medicine. Previously, she enjoyed working with children at a pediatrician's office for 8 years. A childhood injury left her unable to have children of her own, so it was very special experience for her. Currently she's working with patients of substance abuse. A family member was the influence for this, and she is able to use her resources to help others as well as her family.
Three years ago, her grandmother passed away. Two weeks later, her mother passed from pancreatic cancer. Ever since, she has been taking care of her 89-year-old father. This cancer means she will not be able to care for him in the same fashion; she has to turn to outside help, hiring aides for him (3-4 hours a day, 2-3 times a week, in home care).
January 10, 2018, Lisa was sent for a bilateral mastectomy.
We all hope that the surgery removes all the cancer, that it doesn’t spread, or ever come back!
She will be out of work for several weeks, recovering from the surgery. Then it’s about a year chemotherapy. The prescribed drugs are outrageously expensive, about $35,000 each, for 2 out of the 4, from her oncologist. Insurance is only covering a portion of this. On top of the expensive medications, she will have to pay the insurance premiums while out of work.
She will not be able to work full time during her treatment, and her husband’s work hours have slowed. This leaves them scared for the future, and for the life that they’ve worked so hard to build for themselves.
Just before the surgery, (which so far recovery has been painful, but successful), Lisa learned that her job is changing insurance companies. This is added stress and expense. This means meeting the deductible for the year, again. Possibly finding new doctors. Will the new insurance cover her medication? How will this change her treatment plan? The process Lisa had to go through once already (before surgery) has to start again while she is bedridden. The list of questions and problems this causes goes on.
I will be seeing Lisa this week, and I’m looking forward to helping her out anyway I can. I’ll be keeping this page updated, thank you everyone for thinking of my friend Lisa!
Lisa was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer last October, just days after her 48th birthday. She went to the doctor for a regular yearly exam and the poor differentiated cancer was found. Several months prior, a doctors’ visit for an unrelated medical issue introduced Lisa to a new form of mammogram, a form which has proven its usefulness by detecting the cancer in an earlier stage.
For the last 25 years, Lisa has worked in the medical field. She has always wanted to be a doctor or nurse, but finds herself helping people on the financial side of medicine. Previously, she enjoyed working with children at a pediatrician's office for 8 years. A childhood injury left her unable to have children of her own, so it was very special experience for her. Currently she's working with patients of substance abuse. A family member was the influence for this, and she is able to use her resources to help others as well as her family.
Three years ago, her grandmother passed away. Two weeks later, her mother passed from pancreatic cancer. Ever since, she has been taking care of her 89-year-old father. This cancer means she will not be able to care for him in the same fashion; she has to turn to outside help, hiring aides for him (3-4 hours a day, 2-3 times a week, in home care).
January 10, 2018, Lisa was sent for a bilateral mastectomy.
We all hope that the surgery removes all the cancer, that it doesn’t spread, or ever come back!
She will be out of work for several weeks, recovering from the surgery. Then it’s about a year chemotherapy. The prescribed drugs are outrageously expensive, about $35,000 each, for 2 out of the 4, from her oncologist. Insurance is only covering a portion of this. On top of the expensive medications, she will have to pay the insurance premiums while out of work.
She will not be able to work full time during her treatment, and her husband’s work hours have slowed. This leaves them scared for the future, and for the life that they’ve worked so hard to build for themselves.
Just before the surgery, (which so far recovery has been painful, but successful), Lisa learned that her job is changing insurance companies. This is added stress and expense. This means meeting the deductible for the year, again. Possibly finding new doctors. Will the new insurance cover her medication? How will this change her treatment plan? The process Lisa had to go through once already (before surgery) has to start again while she is bedridden. The list of questions and problems this causes goes on.
I will be seeing Lisa this week, and I’m looking forward to helping her out anyway I can. I’ll be keeping this page updated, thank you everyone for thinking of my friend Lisa!
Organizer
Danielle Bayrami
Organizer
Fort Lauderdale, FL
