Give the Gift of Health and Hope on GivingTuesday
For years, GivingTuesday has inspired millions around the world to unleash the power of their generosity to help others. The concept behind the movement is one that Real World Health Care and the HealthWell Foundation hold close to our collective hearts as part of our shared commitment to supporting patient communities.
The financial assistance HealthWell provides to help patients afford lifesaving medications and treatments isn’t abstract. It’s very real, as you’ll read below in a letter HealthWell recently received from Rachel, whose friend Bob couldn’t afford the care he needed for hepatitis C. HealthWell was able to help Bob, as well as thousands of others every year, thanks to the generous support of individual and corporate donors.
Bob’s Story: In the Words of His Friend
My name is Rachel, and I wanted to say thank you on behalf of my dear friend, Bob. HealthWell paid for the copay for his medication, an extremely new, expensive and life-changing hepatitis C cure. Medicare covered 90% of the cost but did not pay for the remaining $6,000, which HealthWell took care of.
Bob and Rachel
I am so grateful for HealthWell’s help in saving my friend Bob’s life. He has many other complex medical issues, and we were so excited to hear that this new treatment would cure hepatitis C, and then we were let down when we heard that it would cost $30,000. We then found out Medicare would cover all but $6,000 and started to think of ways to raise money for the copay, like asking friends and family members to donate small amounts. However, the pharmacist applied for a HealthWell grant on Bob’s behalf, and we couldn’t be happier.
Let me tell you a little about Bob. He is 70 years old and has been working manual labor jobs since before he entered high school and was in and out of foster care. Despite his difficult upbringing, he is the kindest, funniest, and smartest person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.
My parents met Bob in the 80s and have been best friends with him ever since. I think of Bob as a third parent, and now as a best friend. Growing up, he came to every single one of my violin recitals, met all of my friends, and now likes watching sports with my husband. He has great taste in food, art, home décor, books, movies, and music, and in the past year he’s been loaning me books that he likes with sticky notes on them telling me about why he likes the books and why he read them. He loves cats, and has a cat named Marley who is perfect for him.
Bob lives across the street from us, and we have keys to each other’s houses. Bob is a wonderful, amazing person, and it’s been so difficult to see him suffer through so many medical issues.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for covering the copay on Bob’s medicine. People like Bob exist because of what HealthWell is doing.
Sincerely,
-Rachel
People Like Bob Need Your Support
Bob is so fortunate to have people in his life who care deeply about him and want the best for him. His friends and family were committed to making sure he got the lifesaving, but costly, treatment he needed, even if that meant taking up a collection to come up with $6,000 to cover his copay.
Everyone suffering from a chronic or life-changing illness deserves such a wonderful support system because being sick is often very lonely and isolating. You can be part of the support system for people in need like Bob by visiting https://www.healthwellfoundation.org/donors/givingtuesday/ to make your GivingTuesday donation.
Every act of generosity counts – and everyone has something to give. This GivingTuesday, I encourage you to participate in the global generosity movement, whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, standing up for an issue or people you care about, or giving some of what you have to those who need your help. You can make a difference, one person at a time.