Paying it Forward

I marked the end of my cancer treatment with the removal of my port back in October. More-so than my last treatment on October 4, that port coming out was the final step that officially put my cancer battle behind me. In a lot of ways it's surreal to be on the other side. For 16 months, so much of my mental and physical energy was consumed with a balance work, motherhood, a relationship (until we parted ways in July), and a cancer battle. When suddenly cancer was over, I realized just how much of my life "cancer" had affected. Living life post-cancer looks a lot different than it did pre-cancer. My priorities have shifted. How I spend my time has changed. How I view relationships has changed. It's accurate to say that much of my outlook on life has been altered by cancer, in all the right ways. :) 

One thought I have often is how thankful I am for God's absolutely perfect timing.  In December 2022, I had left my job of 10 years. I was working as a substitute teacher for the spring of 2023 making a low wage and, for the first time in my adult life, I had no health insurance. I was living on my savings while I was trying to find work. It was an incredibly stressful time in my life. As I was trying to find a job I remember praying asking God to preserve my health while I was uninsured. The last thing I wanted was to put my family in a bind because of my health while I had no job and no insurance. I was offered my current job that spring after just a few months of substitute teaching. I was diagnosed three months later, in June. That whole time I was looking for a job and had no health insurance I also had cancer.....I just didn't know it. I was diagnosed once I had a job with decent health coverage that also had a policy which allowed me to take off as much time as I needed-paid-for treatment; something I didn't have in my previous job. God's perfect timing. 

Before my most recent surgery I totaled up everything MD Anderson billed to my insurance company. It totals over 1.4 million dollars. And let me repeat: that was BEFORE my most recent surgery which was November 22, 2024. ONE MILLION FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. I had an aggressive cancer, but it was fairly "easy" and "cheap" in the realm of cancer treatment. I have a friend who's mother needed treatments for her cancer that were billed one million dollars PER TREATMENT. Why do I bring this up? Because the American healthcare system is broken, and it's heartbreaking. But I am so incredibly blessed. I am a single woman who had family and friends who were willing to generously give in order to help stay out of medical debt because of this cancer. They supported me out of the goodness of their heart with no expectation of anything in return, just as Jesus tells us to. Some of them even donated completely anonymously. There is no "medical debt forgiveness" in America. Medical debt can be completely crushing. I am forever grateful for those who bought t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, bracelets, sent Doordash giftcards, brought meals, gave to the Gofundme, sent checks, sent gifts, cards, notes, texts, and other encouragements so I wouldn't be crushed. All of them were so appreciated, and most of them made me cry tears of gratitude. 

I also want you to know, I'm the kind of girl who "pays it forward." People you don't know are already being blessed because you blessed me.

Thank you, again, so much. Merry Christmas.