December 12, was a good day and a bad day. First it was a good day because was the birthday anniversary of my Son Clifton. Born in 1966, he turned 57 that day, gad I am getting really old, my youngest offspring turning 57 years old.
Also that day was a bad or not so good day. Because around 9am on that day, I traveled to the offices (Infusion Center) for the Virginia Cancer Specialist organization whose medical professionals specializing in oncology cases to begin my treatment for prostate cancer. I have been assured that the treatment will not impair me like some cancer treatments do. I probably will not lose any more of my hair, but I may experience some uncomfortable side effects depending on how my body reacts to the cancer drugs they will inject this afternoon and those oral medications that I would be required to begin within a two week span following the first cancer drug infusion. Fingers crossed, as I have witnessed the onslaught of cancer the the effect of the treatments on several of my relatives. Concerned> sure, I would be an idiot to not be concerned. Cancer within my family has been quite frequent and fatal for those who are attacked by this dreaded disease.
What are my chances? Well the medical folks are upbeat about my procedures and the chemo drugs they are prescribing. They believe the processes they are setting up (my oncology team), will win the day. I am sure that is the impressions from the oncology folks who treated my dad, my brother, and one of my favorite aunts. Nonetheless, they all passed in short order from initial diagnosis until their final breaths. So, anxious, concerned, and yes depressed are pretty strong in the old guy. Hells bells, I was 82 when they diagnosed my prostate cancer and then found that it had spread outward from the prostate to several other areas of this old aging body. Will they be successful or will Cancer claim another of the Hodges clan?
What ever, I guess. My lifelong philosophy has always been to concern myself with things I can fix or change and not to concern with those things that I have no control over. Cancer is in the second category, that while I hopefully have a very solid, professional and knowledgeable oncology team, Cancer is still very much in the forefront of my thoughts every single day.
While side effects and the fact that I am now an official Cancer patient bother me quite strongly, my major concerns are what the financial impacts this Cancer treatment will bring to my family, my wife and myself. While we have a decent, stable, income (I am on Social Security and my wife has a substantial position at her work), the horribly expensive medication and cancer specialist involvement are a grinding anxiety generation and cause me no end of anxious times through out the day.
Should I lose this battle with cancer, what will I leave behind? Will there still be a crushing medical debt facing my wife and family? I was encouraged to take part in the online fundraising system called GoFundMe and after considerable thought, I decided to attempt that avenue that might provide a fund for paying for these cancer treatments and not leave a medical debt obligation on my wife.
As we all know, medical bills are a huge reason for personal financial crises in this nation. And frankly only in this nation since every other developed nation has its populations covered under a Universal Health Care program. Would that be the case here, at least I could then focus totally on my cancer fight and not on how we were going to pay for the medications, the infusion costs and the costs of the oncologists and the oncology technical folks. Many in my family and my friends speak to me of this treatment or that treatment all that were successful for their relative or friend. My question is okay, tell me how much those treatments cost and how were the funds to pay them acquired. Social Security and Medicare do not offer a safety net for high cost cancer treatments, and the patient’s out of pocket costs are at least 20% and can range into the six or seven figure obligation for the patient and their family.
This is the link to that fundraiser if one is so inclined to assist/help in this fundraiser?
Again, this personal experience now reinforces the efforts and activism that I have been involved with on and off since 2003. That of replacing our commercialized health care system with a universal health care program like the rest of the developed nations have had for many many years. The USA is the only developed nation that does not have a single payer universal health care system in place. As a result, USA residents, and especially most senior citizens are adversely harmed by medical necessities. And it was not for trying, in 2003 the bill numbered HR-676 was introduced to the Congress at their opening by Representative John Conyers and a number of Co-signer/Supporters from the Democratic Party. The legislative bill did not get out of committee, being tabled by the Republicans and their health care industry executives and insurance corporation masters. Each new Congress, Representative Conyers resubmitted his bill to at least two and often to three different committees for consideration and possible move to the House Floor for debate. Each year, regardless of his enhancements, the bill has floundered in committee and not been released to the Floor debate. One would think that with the huge benefit to the American population that this bill would at least get a Floor debate. Finally in 2017, the last edition of HR-676 was posted to these three committees and still did not get out of committee for a full House review and debate. Conyers passed that year and HR-676 essentially died with him.
So here we are, with a GoFundMe application posted to Facebook and several kind souls having contributed to my battle, we are still a very, very long way from having a financial cushion for the cost of my cancer treatment/battle. I frankly am extremely concerned at this point with when my battle will be lost and what the cost obligations will be. Depression, fear, and Anxiety are with me daily, and in my thoughts during the night. My only hope is that either a win or sadly a loss will come fairly soon so that the financial burden is not to great.
So, I will leave this blog entry at this point. As things progress, I may create follow on commentary as to the status of my Cancer. Or, if there appears to be little or no interest in this topic, perhaps I might post on some other mundane topic.
Musings of a Geriatric Curmudgeon 