ZenTrainer is a breast cancer survivor — it is five years now since her surgeries to remove the cancer. She lives in a red State — Tennessee (where there has been no Medicaid expansion). Due to her low income, she has not had adequate access to health care for years in spite of very real and pressing need. However, thanks to ACA, she currently has some limited insurance yet unfortunately will be losing it at the end of the year because the carrier is ceasing to do such business in Tennessee.
With this deadline in mind, she is jumping at the chance to have something that has not yet been done — getting reconstructive surgery to correct the disfiguring, physical damage done by the initial cancer surgeries. She just got the surgery date and it is very, very soon — December 9. ZenTrainer will be convalescing for two months, long past the end of her insurance (last day is December 31).
ZenTrainer will not be able to work while she heals (she makes most of her income by cleaning houses — the rest by working with dogs). And she is going to need help with a lot of things — because she won’t be able to drive or do anything for herself at home. As she lives in a rural area, she will need help with shopping for food and other items and picking up mail from the post office (her residence is so rural USPS does not deliver there). She will need to cover her ordinary expenses plus hire some home health care help. She will need help caring for her pets, too. So we are setting a goal to raise some funds for her — $7500. So far she has received $1017. Thank you, everyone!
ZenTrainer is someone who has worked tirelessly to write diaries for down ticket candidates in the recent election season and who has been very active with the Pootie Peeps, giving valuable advice to pet owners whenever it is needed without asking anything in return. With peregrine kate, she has also coordinated the Monday Night Cancer Club diaries for years, giving solace and help to people dealing with this horrible disease. She is one of those giving people who never, ever asks for anything for herself but, boy, she really needs the help right now.
Here is where you can send funds:
PayPal: send using the “family and friends” option to zenpaws AT msn DOT com
Check: make to Tracy B. Ann and send to P.O. Box 293372, Nashville, TN 37229
Several other friends will be writing diaries for ZenTrainer in the coming days and will keep the total updated for you. Please watch for those diaries and help promote them for more eyes!
Here are snippets from ZenTrainer’s emails, telling in her own words what will be happening:
I have been sick a lot this year so I have no savings at all. For my last 2 surgeries the only restrictions I had were that I couldn't lift anything or vacuum. I clean houses and train dogs for a living so I just had a friend drive me to work and he vacuumed. I did a lot of Vicodin and did all the cleaning.
This time though, I can't clean at all, not even wipe a counter for 6 to 8 weeks! Because something like a "seroma" (not sure that's what it's called) could occur and at that time I will have no insurance coverage.
What I will need is my mortgage and expenses covered for that time.
….
Recovery sounds like a whole lot of NOT fun. I won't be allowed to lift my hands over my head or bend over for a few weeks. I won't be able to drive for that long either (stick shift).
And I can't go to work for 8 weeks. Oddly, they also mentioned that I can't play soccer. (I have never played soccer in my life.)
I am going to have to have someone help me bathe for 4 days or so and for a few weeks, help with my pets.
I have to sleep propped up for a few weeks also. They give lot's of advice like "prepare your meals in advance and freeze them" etc. I laughed this morning because I have a little refrigerator (I was hoping it would make my kitchen look bigger) and I can reach the freezer without lifting my arms above my head.
You know, I am fiercely independent and hate asking people for anything. I once took a car service home from the hospital after a hernia surgery. The hospital didn't want to let me go, but I am also pretty stubborn.
This surgery will be a bit worse that that one because I won't have the use of my arms for a bit. There is supposed to be less pain than my first 2 cancer surgeries and they advise strongly to set up a table with water and a TV remote control; they really want you to lay around doing nothing for as long as possible in order to heal.
I think I can do everything they want and follow the restrictions. I am concerned about my cats jumping on me. If I knew how to stop them from doing that I'd be a millionaire.
I'm not though, so I think what I need is $4,000 to cover my 2 months off work. That's the money I would make plus some cushion for any extra stuff. I know there are some surgical garments I will have to wear and I think there is a protective device I can wear for if/when the cats jump on me. [note from SaraR — Tracy is really lowballing here and not including hired home health care or follow up care after her insurance expires so I am suggesting $7500]
And boy do I feel like a loser for having to ask, but I'm stressed enough as it is, I don't want to stress about losing my house. When I first got cancer, I missed 2 payments on my house and B of A jumped at the chance to foreclose. I was able to get a mortgage modification then. It lowered my payments to almost affordable by extending the loan to 40 years. I'll be 94 when my house is paid off!
Thank you for reading and for any help you can send to this dear, dear friend. Get well cards can be sent to the P.O. address given above, too! Namaste.