b'Our Supporters and AlliancePartnersWorking Together toMake a Difference Making a difference in the lives of those we assist means more than just offering a financial lifeline to help with out-of-pocket costs for medical treatments. At the HealthWell Foundation, we focus on total patient care, not just a condition. Since patients often need support that goes beyond financial assistance, our team works diligently throughout the year to identify and connect with national health care organizations and patient advocacy groups who support our mission and the disease funds we cover. In 2018, we continued to expand our relationships with more than a dozen leading organizations to reach disease-specific communities and stakeholders to cross-refer patients, raise awareness about our funds, and help more patients in need. HealthWell would like to thank our valued alliance partners for their assistance and generous support of our mission. You can learn more about these amazing organizations by visiting:www.HealthWellFoundation.org/About/Our-Alliance-Partners.I was released from treatment because I was cured.During my regular six-month general wellness check with my primary physician (September 2017), the labs that preceded that check-up showed some irregularities. My liver enzymes were sky high. When I went to the doctor, I told him I wanted to abstain from alcohol for a period of time and have the labs redone. Five weeks later, the liver enzymes were even higher. I had not consumed a drop of alcohol during those five weeks. My doctor ran some other labs and it showed a diagnosis of Hepatitis C virus. I was assured that with a new medicine, the cure rate was 96%-99%. Twelve weeks later, labs showed no HCV detected. I had to wait another three months to be sure. I was released from treatment because I was cured.So, where does HealthWell come in? The twelve-week treatment cost would have been over $70,000. For a fixed-income person and a retired educator, it was absolutely prohibitive. The staff at the specialists office intervened with my insurance plan. It would have brought the cost down to around $12,000. That was still a very difficult thing for us. Along came HealthWellworking with the pharmacy involvedand a grant from them reduced my personal copay to $0!I sincerely consider the Foundation part of my lifesaving cure. I will be forever grateful to them.LEN S. Omaha, NEHepatitis C Grant Recipient'