We Need a Little Certainty
When you’ve been diagnosed with cancer like me, you’re faced with an overwhelming amount of uncertainty. Did they catch it in time? Will the treatments work? And for many cancer patients, can I afford good treatment?
Linda Barlow
It’s both sad and frustrating that here, in one of the most highly developed nations in the world, many cancer patients have to wonder if they can afford to save their own lives. Unfortunately, even having health insurance is not always enough of a safety net to avoid personal financial collapse while fighting the fight of your life.
As the bills start to roll in, so too does a new wave of uncertainty: Can you afford what you need to get better?
Providing assistance to people living with cancer has always been a priority for organizations like the HealthWell Foundation. Since 2004, HealthWell has been leading the way in bringing financial relief to more than 70,000 cancer patients with copay assistance through more than 20 oncology funds – yet so many more need help.
That is why I’m turning to you today. HealthWell has made the decision to create the ECRF. It is not yet open, but I want that to change. And for that to happen, HealthWell needs your help today.
Once launched, the ECRF will help people with expenses not covered under traditional current cancer copay funds, expanding services to even more cancer patients who have exhausted all other options and have no one to turn to.
For example, the ECRF can grant as little as $25 to help someone pay for anti-nausea medicine. Larger grants can also help patients overwhelmed by medical expenses accumulated during their treatment, such as medical equipment needs and diagnostic testing.
The ECRF will follow patients every step of the way through their treatment or recovery. It will almost be like having another caregiver watching out for your well-being. And for those of us who have lived through or are living with cancer, we know how important that caregiver network can be.
To that end, I would like to personally recognize and thank all of the health care providers at Abington Memorial Hospital and The Rosenfeld Cancer Center who took such good care of me during my recent treatments for breast cancer. From my initial diagnosis through my follow-up visits, every physician, nurse, therapist and technician I’ve encountered has treated me with both professionalism and the compassion and kindness a cancer patient needs to get through the day.
Compassion and kindness – they’re like life-giving oxygen to a cancer patient. But compassion and kindness aren’t just the hallmark of professional caregivers and loved ones. The ECRF will be proof of that, but HealthWell first has to raise enough money to open the fund so patients can benefit from it.
And that’s where your support comes in. If you want to show compassion and kindness to those with cancer, now is the time. Give to ECRF today so that HealthWell can launch the fund and help cancer patients avoid one more uncertainty in their lives.