Chemo Update and a New Cause in Life.....

Tuesday was a “Chemo Day.”

Side Note: Can I just take a moment to brag about my wonderful husband? He really is one of the “good ones.” Every morning he wakes up, goes downstairs and makes my coffee – only a half pot since he doesn’t drink any, and extra strong – just the way I like it. On the mornings that he is leaving as I’m supposed to be getting up (or really any day in which I hit snooze too many times) he comes upstairs to wake me up, say goodbye, and give me a kiss. Well, on “Chemo Days” he always makes a full pot of coffee knowing that my brother is on his way to the house and also drinks coffee. It’s those little things that I love so much. (Don’t worry – he’s not completely perfect and there are times when I could strangle him too!!)

Tuesday my brother showed up about two hours late. We rushed right to the hospital to see if they could still even fit us in for the treatment. Hopkins has this great program in which every patient is given a “credit card”. It’s a card with your name, and information imprinted into it and a magnetic strip that also contains the same information. As soon as you arrive you swipe the card at a kiosk in the main lobby. It provides you a print out of your schedule for the day. After that, every time you go to a new room or waiting area you swipe your card at the card-reader in that room. In this way, the hospital can track you no matter where you are, as well as ensure that no one is waiting for too long of a time anywhere (cough – yeah right!).

We arrived, my brother swiped his card and rather than a print out of his schedule, he received a notice to see the admittance / registration desk. As he was behind in paying off some of the medical expenses (those that exceeded what insurance covers) they required him to make a minimal payment prior to getting his treatment.

Unfortunately on Tuesday his platelet count was too low to receive treatment. It appears I jinxed myself last week. They will give him one cycle off and we go back in two more weeks to see if his platelet count has improved enough to get treatment. This also means that his last treatment date gets pushed back by one cycle which puts him to July 17 – his birthday. I am going to try and organize a surprise birthday party for him at our house for after his treatment (obviously he doesn’t know about this blog) but to make it a success means I have to depend on my family to show up – and given their lack of participation in this whole process to date, well, only time will tell. At least Rob and I can still have a cake for him or something!

As for my new cause……I really want to look into what financial support is out there for families going through major medical expenses such as chemotherapy treatments. When my mother went through it, it devastated my family financially. My parents were forced to claim bankruptcy to not lose the house, though we did lose the car through repossession, as well as many of our other possessions in the house. And now, I see my brother going through it and while insurance is helping out tremendously, he is still hit with hundred of dollars of medical bills each month. He is close, if not already at, his catastrophic limit, but he still has several months of bills to cover. Even the best of budgeters in this world would still have trouble covering not only their usual expenses but an additional $500 - $1,00 each month for 4-5 months in a row when they are unable to work all of their regular hours.

I know that there are many programs for individuals with limited income, but it seems that those who do make a good income and are living squarely in the middle class to upper middle class are the ones that seem hurt the most. These are the individuals who need the most help, specifically because neither the government nor society as a whole ever understands this class and the real economics behind it (i.e. look at the student loan program). So, if anyone is reading this and has ideas of a place for me to start my path on the cause, please give a shout out.

As for my brother, well, keep praying that in two more weeks he will be able to get his next treatment and we can keep cruising along through his last four treatments!