Sometimes cancer treatment requires travel...and, of course, that's pretty expensive.
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I spend a lot of time and tears trying to figure out where I was going to be treated. So many people offered a lot of advice. I took it all in. At different points in the journey, someone would recommend a treatment center or a doctor who was in another city or state. The thought of traveling for treatment was unimaginable. [Thinking of traveling for my reconstruction surgery]
I was not making a ton of money, and that salary was cut drastically because I was on disability. I couldn't afford to take trips out of town for any part of my treatment -- no matter how great the doctor or the facility was.
Some survivors live in areas where they don't have access to great breast cancer care. And they are forced to travel for hours for treatment. The costs are extensive. Imagine having to travel every two or three weeks for at least two days to get treatment. Consider that you're going to have to travel with at least one other person (most of us are not in any condition to drive or travel alone after treatment). And keep in mind, that you have to do this for months at a time.
It adds up.
Hotel costs, fuel costs, days off from your job (and theirs), food costs... and that is on top of whatever expenses are not covered by insurance. Not to mention whatever additional costs you have to keep your home going (childcare, maid service, etc.)
It adds up.
I am a few years out from my treatment and my breasts have changed. They're uneven. I still need to get my nipple. The work that my plastic surgeon did was sufficient for the time it was done, but now, I want better. *shrug* I feel that I deserve breasts that I'm happy with. And I'm just not happy with the ones I have. (That sounds so callous and cold, but it's true.)
I chose the type of reconstruction that I did because I had hoped that one surgery would be enough to make me whole again. Things did not work out quite the way that I had planned but overall, the experience wasn't terrible. It was hard. It was painful. It was long -- both surgery and recovery were tough. But I made it through. Significant time has passed and now when I look at my chest I am deeply dissatisfied.
So, I am seriously considering more surgery to get things right. I need to feel comfortable in my body. Right now I don't. I am working on getting myself together completely, and a few tweaks may make things better.
I am considering going back to have more plastic surgery to my breasts, and one of the doctors I have been considering seeing for a consult is in another state. I may take advantage of this program with Extended Stay America in order to have the procedure. (I'm still thinking and debating, so my mind isn't made up yet.) All that to say, this sounds like a great partnership between Extended Stay and the American Cancer Society. I am glad to see companies stepping up to assist with the financial burdens that cancer places on its patients.
One of my biggest problems with dealing with the aftermath of cancer is the cost burden it places on patients. Are we all supposed to live hosting fundraisers and crowdfunding campaigns in order to keep ourselves out of poverty or bankruptcy because of a disease we didn't ask for?
That's a rhetorical question. You don't have to answer.
(Give a financial gift to your loved one who has dealt with this disease... if you can. I'm sure it will be deeply appreciated.)
