Friend diagnosed with breast cancer....?

Question

I am trying to help my friend who was just diagnosed with breast cancer find financial help because she has no health insurance. I would greatly appreciate any information that you could give to me and her. She lives in the state of Michigan.

Answer 1

There are resources to help cancer patients. A good place to start is with the American Cancer Society. You can also call the local chapter:

Medical Insurance and Financial Assistance for the Cancer Patient
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/MLT/content/MLT_1x_Medical_Insurance_and_Financial_Assistance_for_the_Cancer_Patient.asp?sitearea=&level=1


The National Cancer Institute also provides information:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/support/financial-assistance

Other resources include contacting the hospital social workers to help locate funding. They can sit down with her and go over options.

Answer 2

The links provided thus far are terrific but I wanted to add my $0.02.

There is excellent assistance available by all the pharmecuetical companies. This link is the best one that is a database so you and your friend can review which pharm. co. her meds come from:

www.pparx.org/Intro.php

This is a RX card from a conglomerate of Pharm. co. though not all.

www.needymeds.com

Please review this link for Michigan:

www.michigan.gov/dhs

Michigan has some terrific programs for cancer patients and their families. Financial in regards to meds, as well as general financial assistance. They will also assist in getting her a wig; if they don't have any decent ones available (and sometimes they don't; depending on which county--and donations)

Look at the American Cancer Society webpage ( www.cancer.org ) ;

Follow the link "My Community" and input friends zip code to get the closest one to her and they offer so much and are a terrific help; support groups, wigs free and at reduced cost, free 'make overs', respite care referrals.

If she does lose her hair due to chemo; there are the wigs as mentioned but if she doesn't want to go that route there are organizations that offer hats, scarves by the boxful to help her keep feeling beautiful when she has those crummy days. Here's one:

www.interweave.com/knit/charities.asp

Now, though you wish to assist your friend in finding the right financial resources; baking a casserole, watching the kids, going to her house and picking up, doing dishes sometimes is as meaningful and more practical.

God bless you for being a terrific and thoughtful friend. Many prayers for your friend and her fight to win and be a survivor!

Answer 3

do not circumvent her. Ask her recommendations on a thanks to assist her, or use your mind's eye. If she's a spouse/mom, or if she's on her own, fixing some nutrition that she will freeze and defrost later on is a huge help. Housecleaning is yet another ingredient that may be demanding--at the same time as one in all my friends had BC I knew she easily would not enable me are available in and sparkling her living house myself, so I paid a specialist maid provider to do it. It did not fee a lot more desirable than sending her flora, and he or she favored it exceptionally. Your chum will be feeling rotten or exhausted, so be affected human being if she's crabby, and if she seems drained, do not take offence, yet only attempt yet yet again. commonly with chemo and radiation, you do not sense ill the entire time, yet sense ill in cycles (e.g. precise after an infusion). stay in touch--an excellent type of persons rush to assist the newly clinically determined human being, yet typically you want more desirable help after months of chemo, at the same time as the novelty of your situation has worn off. In my journey, having supportive friends is a huge help at the same time as present procedure maximum cancers remedy--so draw close in there, and best of success for your chum!

Answer 4

Try www.y-me.org, and the Susan B. Komen Foundation.