Webinar: Regaining your financial health post-cancer

I saw this post on a blog and felt it necessary to share it here. SAMFund provides grants for young people transitioning back to their lives after cancer treatment. This webinar promises a lot of great information for getting your financial life on tract after cancer.

I'll say clearly... cancer is crazy expensive. So, I'll certainly be tuning in to learn how to better navigate this new world post-cancer.

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Regaining your financial health post-cancer


We all know that cancer takes it toll on us physically, mentally, emotionally and socially... but what many people don't know is that it also wreaks havoc on our finances. It's sort of a dirty little secret: cancer is really freaking expensive.

For the past six years, The SAMFund has provided direct financial assistance to young adults to help them get back on their feet after treatment. However, each year the number of requests increases exponentially, and over the past year we've tried to figure out a way to help even more people, and to do so throughout the year. We know that your bills can't wait for our application process to be open!

So, we're excited to announce that we're launching a new program, thanks to a grant from Pfizer - a free Webinar series designed to provide concrete, reliable advice and information about the unique financial struggles faced by young adults as a result of cancer and its treatment. We've partnered with some amazing financial professionals who will be sharing their expertise with participants and giving them the tools and resources to improve their financial situations.

Our first Webinar will be on Wednesday, March 9th at 4 pm EST. We're excited to welcome George Padula, a Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Financial Analyst from Modera Wealth Management, as our first presenter. I presented with him last year at a BMT conference, and this guy *gets* it. He knows that young adults can't start thinking about long-term investments or even retirement planning when many barely have enough money to make the monthly bills. He also knows that many young adults face overdue credit card bills, increasing medical debt and ongoing expenses, with pretty limited savings and other resources to pull from.

The upside is that he also has some really good ideas as to how to get from Point A to Point B, when Point A is overwhelming and Point B seems so out of reach. He has great advice on setting short-term financial goals, figuring out how to budget, and eventually becoming comfortable enough to start thinking about longer-term goals like retirement savings.
So please join us on Wednesday, March 9th for the first of our Webinar series, Moving Forward With Your Financial Health, Part I: Regaining Control of Your Finances Post-Cancer. Here's the link to register: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/352685174.

Know someone who might benefit from the Webinar? Please pass the link on to them as well. We've got plenty of room!



(Don't worry if you can't make it... it will be recorded and made available on our website after March 9th!)

Getting past the week from hell

This has been a hard week for me. I overdid my fun last weekend and set myself up for a bacterial infection that kept me out of work all week. Five days of fighting a stomach flu is NOT FUN. A week of eating like a bird is not fun. But, I feel like I contributed to my own dilemma by not keeping in mind that I cannot do now what I may have been able to do 20 years ago. I just can't hang like I used to.

Its okay. I'm older now. I will make adjustments.

The second part of my week from hell is... I am an emotional BABY. There is a guy in my life that I like. (just going to put it out there plainly) But I am having a difficult time finding my equilibrium with this. Without going into details... as much as I would like to believe that I want to be in a relationship; that I would like to be married one day.... I really don't know whether that is possible at all. I am distrustful. I am scared. I am hesitant. I am unsure of what I believe from moment to moment. Its like I can't trust myself to acknowledge what I see and accept it for what it is.

Sigh. (Shrug)  But, with all that said and acknowledged... I can even be cool with that. Hey, the truth is that I know I'm a work in progress when it comes to relationships, affection, love, etc. I've known that about myself for a long time. My heart and my head simply don't speak the same language. Makes it difficult to trust my own choices. If I stay and move forward... have I chosen a good person? Will he be in it for the long haul? Can I make him happy and bring something good to his life? Can he do the same for me? On the other hand... If I leave and cut my losses... did I miss out on a great person? Is this fear talking or am I being logical? Did I miss the context clues that showed me that he was not the one? One part of me says one thing, another part says something totally different. Its confusing and yet makes sense.

The cherry on top of the sundae is the third part... every time I have to go through another procedure, appointment, etc. relating to this stupid breast cancer, I end up farther and farther behind the economic eight-ball. I make a pretty average salary. In the area where I live, its better than some but far from what many of my friends and peers earn. And honestly, that's cool most of the time. I try to live within my own means and not act as flossy as I may feel. I know that I don't make six or seven figures and I act accordingly.

It is one thing if you over spend because you like expensive handbags or watches or shoes. Its one thing if you spend twice your paycheck buying jewelry or video games or whatever your vice is. That is one thing. That is something that you can change by exercising some restraint and some willpower. But when the bills come because you're doing what you need to do to get your life back after breast cancer... it feels very unfair and it seems overwhelmingly difficult to get a handle on.

How do you bargain shop when you need a surgical procedure? Or physical therapy? Or medications? I know that a lot of people end up in bankruptcy court because of medical costs. I am trying not to be one of those people. But it gets more and more difficult every month because the costs continually add up. The bills continue to keep coming. I am growing more and more tired and frustrated about it. Every choice about my healthcare becomes this crazy mathmatical equation where I try to figure out the cost/worth of my time, my health, my job, my finances and ultimately my happiness and my joy.

I want to enjoy what life I have left. I don't like to whine about my life because I know that to many people, even with the breast cancer experience, being single, never married and childless seems like a fantasy dream. Time to think whenever I want. Time to do whatever I choose. Money to spend however I see fit. No one screaming my name, needing me to take them here or there or just generally expecting me to show up in their life and make it all better. (shrug) I know that many people envy my freedom. And for the most part, I understand.

For all the mothers that I envy, all the marriages that I am wistful about... I know that each person's life story presents its own challenges and difficulties. I look at those friends and family members who are in love (either with their spouse or their children or both) and I sigh. I envision myself as wife and mother... and in my version of the movie, its wonderful all the time.

Today, I am another $4000 in debt. Which means that something I wanted to do will have to be pushed to the back burner for some other time. (shrug) My oncologist saved my life but I'm wondering whether this new life will ever be mine again.

Thoughts about breast cancer and finances

The economy is in bad shape. We've been in a recession for quite some time now. Unemployment is high, businesses are struggling, small businesses are closing... and people are filing for bankruptcy. The country has been discussing health care for some time now. President Obama made it an important part of his campaign to address the outrageous health insurance disparities in the country.

Last summer I blogged a bit about how a health crisis can (and does) send many people into dire financial straits and in some cases bankruptcy. (lets-talk-about-cancer-and-money.html)  Its a scary thing. The changes to your lifestyle -- beyond the cost of your medical treatment -- can quickly escalate the line items in your budget. Organic food, natural cosmetics, specialized clothing and treatments that aren't covered or are beyond the scope of your insurance can quickly take an already tight budget over the edge. Since many of us are but a paycheck (or less) away from serious financial disaster, it is time for a reality check.

I have not been the best financial manager of my money in the past. However, after dealing with breast cancer for the past year and a half and realizing that its really up to me (and me alone) to handle everything that is coming my way, I am taking things a lot more seriously. It is really difficult balancing work-life issues with a chronic illness. It is even more challenging to navigate the financial strain that being sick can place on your life.  Even though I am at a crossroad right now between going all out and following my dreams and remaining under the self-imposed pressure of doing the "right" thing... I am clear that the balancing act is possible.

When I was in the hospital for my surgery, I had a very memorable conversation with one of my nurses. She was a breast cancer survivor and a really sweet lady. A single parent of five kids, she worked the late night shift at the hospital. During one of my really down moments, she shared her story with me and helped me to see that despite the concerns that I was having at that moment, I was going to be okay. I told her that I was worried about the choice I had made in procedures and was wondering whether it would have been better to have implants. She had gotten implants and one of her implants was leaking and needed to be replaced. However, because she was the sole source of income for her family, she could not afford to take the time off from work to take care of her implant. She was monitoring it closely but she just was not in a position to stop and have things fixed.

How crazy is it that a health care worker cannot afford to really care for her own health? I thought about her for weeks following my surgery (and she still crosses my mind from time to time) because being sick is about so much more than health insurance to cover the costs of procedures and prescriptions... it is also about reduced money (assuming that you have and are eligible for disability payments), finding the strength (or the assistance) with your household duties while you recuperate and more. This lady probably had decent health insurance but it was the weeks off from work recuperating that were making her put her health on a back burner. Who would take care of her five kids while she lay in bed for weeks recuperating? Who would help her take care of her bills while her income was reduced?

I was, and still am, floored by how much this disease can take from you. How much it can alter your entire life story... in a moment. I don't have an answer to finding the balance between taking care of yourself and respecting your obligations... but I am searching.

In the meantime, I am preparing myself and tightening my belts and figuring out which dreams to follow first. And how I can afford to do so.

Fighting depression

I suppose I'm beginning to sound like a broken record (yeah, that's a shout-out to the old folks reading this blog -- RECORDS -- remember those?). I'm terrified of depression creeping up around me.

Since the surgery, I've been in a frenzy of tears and sadness. I'm sleeping too much -- when I should be awake -- and awake at night, when I should be asleep. Its freaking me out because I feel like I'm shrinking away from myself. I'm over-thinking every step I've made on this journey and wondering if I did the right thing, made the right choices... am I going to be alright in the long run? I think about death far too much...and not in a proactive, let's prepare for the worst kind of way. But I think about it in a "what if I wasn't here" sort of way.

I know that those kind of thoughts aren't good. However, since I have dealt with depression in the past, I work on putting those thoughts out of my head and I focus my attention in other areas. So know that each and everyday, I am thanking God for your presence in my life as I count my blessings and work to relieve my mind of some of the emotional stress and turmoil that this cancer has brought to my world.

Studies have been done that show that after the active treatment for breast cancer has concluded, many women continue to struggle with their emotional health and wellness. Post-traumatic stress disorder and  depression (from mild to severe) can strike from day one when the diagnosis is delivered. Due to the nature of this disease, the focus of your active treatment includes all variations of eradicating the cancer cells but very little is usually addressed to your emotional health. I think that's a shame. Judging from the way that I'm feeling these days... I can honestly say that it should be a requirement that a mental health professional be consulted at least once or twice during the course of treatment.

Never thought I'd advocate for more doctor visits, but in this case I see a real need for it. Millions of women are living with bodies that are disfigured, self-esteem that has plummetted and sometimes a diminished outlook on life.

I feel crazy!

And not in a good way. I know that I'm not alone because a quick trip through some of the on-line forums on some of the breast cancer sites shows that lots of women are really struggling with body image issues, depression, fear, anxiety, and so on. A really big stressor for many women is balancing work, family and financial issues. Far too many of us are struggling to be all that we were before cancer and are frightened to our core of not being able to keep up. That is a real issue for me. I'm not sure how to find the solution, but I'm trying to figure it out.

One of the nurses at the hospital during my stay, was a breast cancer survivor. We chatted a few times and she eventually shared with me that she had opted to have both of her breasts removed and reconstructed with implants. She was a mother of 4 and was the sole income for her family. She shared that her implants were leaking and she needed to have them replaced. However, since she was the sole income for her family, she couldn't afford to take the time off from work in order to take care of her health.

Did I mention that she was a nurse?

I was mortified and scared... and a little relieved because I realized during that conversation that all of us -- patients, survivors, care-givers & supporters -- are walking a really thin line between living fully and shrinking a bit from the scary edges of life. I was relieved to know that I wasn't alone in my worries and my fears. But I was saddened because I realized that this lady was risking her health -- after taking the drastic step of removing her breast in case cancer came back -- because the fear of losing her income or her job was greater than the fear of whatever health repercussions a leaking implant would cause.

Somehow, when the dust settles and my mind is back to clarity... I'm going to figure out a way to help all of these women like myself, who are struggling under the weight of this disease and its financial burdens. I've been thinking and thinking of ways that it can be done -- primarily because I want some relief myself right now. But I know that if I need help, then there are thousands if not hundreds of thousands of other women out there who need financial assistance as well. There has to be a solution. Its just a matter of finding it.

Depression is not my fate. Poverty is not my fate. Low self-esteem, again, not my fate. These negative things are not my destiny. (sigh) I will keep fighting to smile, to be happy, to be joyous, to feel fulfilled in my life. Right now, its an uphill battle. But from what I've read... if I keep the faith, things will turn around.

Feeling the financial crunch of being ill

I'm still at home recuperating from my major surgery the other week. It is so amazing that I went through 12 and half hours of surgery where pieces of my body where removed and then placed in other places....and then all of the blood vessels were micro-surgically stitched back together. It is AMAZING to know that I made it through all of that. I am in awe of the skills of my surgical team. Even though I was a bit of a problem patient for them I think -- not from a health issue but I wasn't emotionally connected and I wasn't reall hyped about the whole event. And that funky attitude really made a different in how I responded to the requests to do things while I was in the hospital.

But eventually I got my head n the game and did what I needed to do to get out of that hospital and back into my own home. Since being home, I have done some of the things I'm supposed to do. I do get my rest. I am not getting my walking which, starting tomorrow will change. I do try to eat and drink -- but I know I'm falling short on that too. My appetite is still pretty weak.

In an ideal world, I'd love to go and have dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in town, maybe have some drinks or coffee with friends and just laugh and enjoy myself. But, I can't see it happening right now. The bills of my life seem to come whether I have money to pay them or not. So, I have to stretch my money to cover this and that... and hope that there will be enough to pay for other things.

I want to do things like travel, buy a car, maybe buy a condo...but I am not sure how to work that plan based upon what I'm earning right now and what I have in the bank. Next year presents me with issues of more surgical procedures -- mostly out patient procedures, except for one. Each surgery means downtime and some additional costs that I'm not sure how I will pay. But I will pay.

The costs of being ill are high. Beyond the medical bills from the hospital, the doctors and the prescriptions. There's the additional costs of travelling to/from the doctors & hospitals, the costs of the medical tools and supplements that are needed -- like gauze, sponges, bandages, etc.

My appetite is really low... so low that I think I will be going back to drinking Ensure to make sure that I am getting enough nutrients and protein necessary for my healing. But that's again, an additional cost. And so forth.

I am dreaming of the day I can go back to work. I'm hoping that its very soon but I don't know when it will be exactly. When I go back to work, I will need more things to help me with that transition as well. Clothes, under garments that fit properly with support but without chafing, or rubbing. I have no idea where to find what I think I need.

I also have to be fitted for a compression sleeve for my arm to control my lymphedema. It was doing really well when I got home from the hospital but it seems to be puffing up again and I have to also find a physical therapist who can help me deal with this.

I will be searching for a budget program that will help me to figure out how I can stay on top of all these bills and expenses. I am confident that there is an answer out there. As soon as I find it, I will share it with you. If you know of anything that may help, please let me know.

...and help me find a way to let my family know that I'm not a Scrooge but gifts are going to be really minimal this year. The love is there, the money is not.