Marsha Posted October 17, 2005 Report Share Posted October 17, 2005 I talked to my brother yesterday. A couple of months ago he was diagnosed with cancer - of the esophagus, colon and liver. He has never smoked a day in his life. They gave him 8 weeks to live. He is on his 17th week starting today. He is on chemotherapy, once a week for 6 weeks and then off 2 weeks then back on. The costs are almost unbearable. For instance the weekly cost for the chemo is $3800 and he has to have one shot per week that is $9000. Yes $9000! He has cobra insurance that covers some of it but not all of it. We as a family are helping out with his monthly expenses. This is a man who has worked for 45 years, never asked for assistance from anyone, including the State. He went to medicaid and they turned him down. Seems like his wife's Social Security check of $900 a month is too much for a family of 2 to qualify. I was shocked. He applied for Social Security Disability and that is approved - FOR DECEMBER. Seems as though there is a 6 month waiting period, then it takes another month for any checks to arrive. He told them "I have been given only 8 weeks to live." They said, "Well apply and there is a waiting period - 6 months." Just asking for prayers. His name is Doug, and he is only 57 years old. Marsha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrawberryFields Posted October 17, 2005 Report Share Posted October 17, 2005 Oh Marsha, I am so sorry to hear about your brother. I will pray for him and those who lve him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammy Posted October 17, 2005 Report Share Posted October 17, 2005 Originally posted by Marsha@Oct 17 2005, 07:14 AMI talked to my brother yesterday. A couple of months ago he was diagnosed with cancer - of the esophagus, colon and liver. He has never smoked a day in his life. They gave him 8 weeks to live. He is on his 17th week starting today. He is on chemotherapy, once a week for 6 weeks and then off 2 weeks then back on. The costs are almost unbearable. For instance the weekly cost for the chemo is $3800 and he has to have one shot per week that is $9000. Yes $9000! He has cobra insurance that covers some of it but not all of it. We as a family are helping out with his monthly expenses.This is a man who has worked for 45 years, never asked for assistance from anyone, including the State. He went to medicaid and they turned him down. Seems like his wife's Social Security check of $900 a month is too much for a family of 2 to qualify. I was shocked. He applied for Social Security Disability and that is approved - FOR DECEMBER. Seems as though there is a 6 month waiting period, then it takes another month for any checks to arrive. He told them "I have been given only 8 weeks to live." They said, "Well apply and there is a waiting period - 6 months."Just asking for prayers.His name is Doug, and he is only 57 years old.Marsha←Oh Marsha! I will pray for him. I have 2 children that I adopted with hydrochepulas. They can't get any help either and they are not on our insurance any more since they don't live at home. Their situation is not life or death unless the shunt malfunctions, but they have been in the hospital and run up huge bills.I am so sorry to hear of Doug's illness. I don't know what else to say. I will be thinking of your familyTammy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Member_Deleted Posted October 17, 2005 Report Share Posted October 17, 2005 I am sorry as well... Is there any cancer donation groups? I guess with everyone getting cancer they are probably tapped out anyway... I will add my prayers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marsha Posted October 17, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2005 Thank you all for your prayers. There IS power in prayer. When I hung up from talking to him last night the last thing that he said was "remember no news is good news." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marsha Posted October 17, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2005 Originally posted by Please@Oct 17 2005, 09:57 AMI am sorry as well... Is there any cancer donation groups? I guess with everyone getting cancer they are probably tapped out anyway...I will add my prayers...←I guess I have never heard of a cancer donation group. Do you have any information on that? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pushka Posted October 18, 2005 Report Share Posted October 18, 2005 Marsha, your brother is in my thoughts... I wish him much comfort over the coming weeks... My thoughts about the USA private medicine system cannot be reprinted here...this is the time that we in the UK are so thankful for the NHS, in spite of all its faults... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Member_Deleted Posted October 18, 2005 Report Share Posted October 18, 2005 Originally posted by Marsha+Oct 17 2005, 04:55 PM--><!--QuoteBegin-Please@Oct 17 2005, 09:57 AMI am sorry as well... Is there any cancer donation groups? I guess with everyone getting cancer they are probably tapped out anyway...I will add my prayers...←I guess I have never heard of a cancer donation group. Do you have any information on that? Thanks←There are people who work to collect donations... I think you can find out through the hospital staff... When we had my son's double brain surgery... they had a special 'person' come and talk to us about how we were going to pay for it... when I said I didn't know they said they had 'donation' groups who used these donations for tax write offs... and that was how we had several 10s of thousands dollars written off... after our insurance paid all it was going to...The helicopter life flight itself cost 7000... and it was 52,000 for the surgeries... not including the doctors and icu, emergency room... etc... so all we paid was a couple of thousand... talk to one of their financial or human services people... at his hospital... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lindy Posted October 19, 2005 Report Share Posted October 19, 2005 His name was in my prayers Hang in there! Power in prayer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
begood2 Posted October 19, 2005 Report Share Posted October 19, 2005 Marsha, I'm sorry to hear about your brother having cancer. Doug, I'm hoping for the best in your cancer treatment. I want to let you know that I will pray for you and your family. Best wishes for a positive outcome! :) Marsha, I agree that there is power in prayer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winnie G Posted October 19, 2005 Report Share Posted October 19, 2005 Marsha Oh I am truly sorry the frustration over what is covered and what is not makes me pull out my hair for my mother and her treatments. She now kicks herself for leaving Canada now that her so called insurance covers only so much. But there might be something your brother can do for the shots. My mother’s meds were not covered so she applied to the drug company and may receive it for free. The only draw back is my mother has to keep a dairy of physical and mantel heath wile she is on the drug. This helps them with research. Check in to it before you worry your bother my aunt did it for my mother. Take care and you’re in our prayers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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