There is a point after a cancer diagnosis where people often find themselves in a support group, in a room full of other cancer patients sharing their stories. You don’t realize at first, because simply the diagnosis of cancer can makes your ears ring for about a year, or you hear something akin to the ocean roaring with “cancer, cancer, cancer” just beneath the waves, but at some point that clears and you begin to notice the people around you.
What you notice is devastatingly sad. You can predict with a bit of accuracy how another persons cancer journey will go by the amount of money they have and the quality of their health insurance.
Yes, much like many other things in life, cancer is easier for the wealthy. If you have enough money you don’t have to worry about taking time off work, missing house payments and having the bank threaten to foreclose on your home.
If you have enough money your treatment decisions can be based on what is the most effective rather than what is the most cost effective. If you have enough money you can pay for all the little extra’s that can make cancer treatment just a little more bearable.
If you don’t have much money? Well, in many states you are out of luck and that’s one of the many reason why we need health care for all. Donna Deegan, running for US Congress in Florida’s 4th District knows this all too well.
Donna Deegan is a 3 time breast cancer survivor who understands the unfairness of income disparity in cancer treatment and is already doing something about it. She started a foundation to provide financial assistance and support to those living with breast cancer, The Donna Foundation. She has her own marathon for breast cancer.
She’s already doing a lot to help cancer patients, imagine what she could do in Congress? Let’s help her get there!