out of pocket co-pays

New Grant Foundations for spring!

Happy Spring time! We have run across some new grant Foundations that may be helpful to you! The Foundations are not new, we just newly became aware of them. So we wanted to be sure to pass on the information on these Foundations right away…..

Everything from Foundations that offer non-medical cost-of-living help, transportation, home care and child care costs. Grants for help with outstanding medical bills, mortgage payments, tuition assistance and providing financial assistance for vacations!

My motto is apply for any that you may qualify for …..the worst they can say is “no” 🙂

***Here is the list of Foundations that have been newly added to our Cancer Butterfly Foundation List (go down the list and start applying today!):

The Pink Fund A non-profit breast cancer organization that provides 90-day non-medical cost-of-living to breast cancer patients in active treatment for breast cancer, so they can focus on healing, raising their families, and returning to the workplace.

Apply thru website: https://www.pinkfund.org/

The Pink Fund

P.O. Box 603

Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303

By Phone: 877.234.PINK (7465)

The Pink Fund partners with The Mary Herczog Fund for Metastatic Breast Cancer Survivors The Mary Herczog Fund for Metastatic Breast Cancer Survivors was launched in her honor to provide six months of financial support to women in treatment for metastatic breast cancer. Metastatic survivors diagnosed under 40, as was Mary, and awaiting Social Security Disability, may qualify under The Pink Fund’s guidelines. Check back to our site on March 31, 2018 for the official launch, including details on qualifications and applications.

Apply thru website: https://www.pinkfund.org/2018/03/26/partners-address-metastatic-breast-cancer-community/

The Pink Fund / The Mary Herczog Fund for Metastatic Breast Cancer Survivors

P.O. Box 603

Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303

By Phone: 877.234.PINK (7465)

Cancer Care The Financial Assistance Program helps with treatment-related costs, such as transportation, home care and child care. The Co-Payment Assistance Foundation helps with insurance co-payments to cover the cost of chemotherapy and targeted treatments.

Cancer Care

275 Seventh Avenue

New York, NY 10001

By Phone: 800‑813‑HOPE (4673)

Call to apply: Call 800-813-HOPE (4673) and speak with a CancerCare social worker to complete a brief interview. They can be reached from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (ET) Monday through Thursday, and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (ET) on Friday.

The Angela Andrade Foundation Grants have ranged from paying outstanding medical bills, mortgage payments, tuition assistance and providing financial assistance for vacations.

You are eligible to apply to the Angela Andrade Foundation if:

You are a patient with metastatic breast cancer
You are receiving treatment within the United States
You are a permanent resident of the United States

In order to apply for a grant, an applicant must mail a completed application to the address indicated below.

Download the application here: https://angelaandradefoundation.blogspot.com/p/srchttpsdocs.html

Grants will be given in $1,800 increments. Grants will be given on an as needed basis. Recipients are selected monthly and must wait a year before applying for another grant from The Angela Andrade Foundation. The applicant must submit a completed application including confirmation from a healthcare provider (through a sealed letter). When possible, all grant payments will be made directly to service providers on behalf of the individual recipient. In some instances recipients may be eligible for reimbursement, but they must provide receipts prior to expense reimbursement.

The Angela Andrade Foundation

The Dallas Foundation

Reagan Place at Old Parkland 3963 Maple Avenue, Suite 390

Dallas, Texas 75219

(214) 741-9898
Email: angelaandradefoundation@gmail.com

American Cancer Society Breakthrough research. Free lodging near treatment. A 24/7/365 live helpline. Rides to treatment. And much more!

Call to see what all they can help YOU with for your specific situation.

Cancer Help line: 800-227-2345

American Cancer Society Road to Recovery Program

The program is intended to assist with cancer-related appointments. Patients must provide a 3 business day advance notice, not including the first date a ride is needed, when making requests. All arrangements must be made through the American Cancer Society Patient Services department. Patients should NOT contact volunteer drivers directly to request rides.

American Cancer Society Patient Services department must be notified immediately if a patient’s plans change and a ride is no longer needed. The program is subject to volunteer availability. A request will be submitted to determine if drivers are available.

Patients will be notified no later than one business day before the scheduled appointment to provide a status update on the request and if a driver was found. (Patients may be notified sooner than this.) If a volunteer driver is found, patients may be contacted by the driver the night prior to the appointment.

Please feel free to call the American Cancer Society’s Patient Services department with any questions. Our toll-free number is 888-227-6333.

American Cancer Society – Hope Lodge Each Hope Lodge offers cancer patients and their caregivers a free place to stay when their best hope for effective treatment may be in another city. Not having to worry about where to stay or how to pay for lodging allows guests to focus on getting better. Hope Lodge provides a nurturing, home-like environment where guests can retreat to private rooms or connect with others. Every Hope Lodge also offers a variety of resources and information about cancer and how best to fight the disease.

Check out webpage for more info: https://www.cancer.org/treatment/support-programs-and-services/patient-lodging/hope-lodge.html

**Join our private Breast Cancer Financial Help and Resources – Cancer Butterfly Facebook Group to ask questions, share info, and get in the info sharing first hand 🙂

Click here to check out our complete Cancer Butterfly Foundation Grant List

Click the compass below to check out all of our other free resources:

Day one of Chemo

Image result for chemo room

About 9:45 am we headed over to the chemo room and got started. The nurses started with taking my temperature (which was fine), and my blood pressure (which was elevated, duh!!)…… I don’t know why they bother with that one 🙂

Then they inserted the IV, they found a good vein after only two tries.

They first started me on a saline drip, then started the first drug bag, I didn’t feel a thing. The next bag was a red solution from their fridge, at the time this bag started going in, my eyes started getting really tired and dry and my contacts got really uncomfortable. My nose started getting stuffy and I started sneezing a lot.

I called my husband who was out grabbing us lunch and asked him to run home and pick up my glasses so I could take my contacts out.

After the red bag they started another clear bag and soon after my husband returned I was all done!

There were 10 chairs in the chemo room and most of the time that I was there (about 3 hrs total), most of the chairs were full. Most with women, only two with men the entire time I was there, everyone was quite a bit older than me. Many women were in their 60’s-80’s. Very sad, at that point in your life to have to be doing chemo in your retirement, they should be off on a vacation!

(purchasing through our affiliate links, help support this site 🙂 )

Everyone sits in a big room, very similar to a blood donation room at the blood bank. It is nice because you are close enough to your neighbors to chat and get some good advice and such.

Some people bring books, chat, nap, listen to music, or do paperwork. Bring a big water cup and some snacks.

Actress and photographer Kris Carr has documented her journey through several best selling books since finding out her liver was covered with cancerous tumors. Her cancer tips are candid and informative, yet very warm and real.

She documents her interactions with family, friends, and doctors through her journey. Kris Carr is a very “say it like it is” kind of gal so she is very easy to relate to, these are my top pick cancer tip books!

(purchasing through our affiliate links, help support this site 🙂 )

To help ease your burden as you go through cancer treatment we have a lot of resources available to help with out of pocket costs for hospital tests, chemotherapy cost, chemotherapy side effects, and radiation treatment costs.

Click the compass below to check out all the FREE Resources available on CancerButterfly.com to help you through your cancer treatment:

Steps leading up to my Breast Cancer diagnosis

Image result for footprints in the sand

I first noticed the lump in my right breast while on vacation over the summer with my family. Once we returned home, I made an appointment with my doctor.

They were certain it was NOT cancer but sent me to get a mammogram just to be sure. The mammogram came back with abnormalities. They did an ultrasound that same day on the breast.

They told me they wanted me to come back for a biopsy the next week, they kept saying they were sure it was not cancer, “I was too young, it didn’t run in my family, I don’t fit the profile, blah, blah, blah…”

I went back the next week and had the biopsy on a Wednesday and by Friday afternoon ten minutes before needing to leave to pick up my daughter at kindergarten my doctor’s office called with the horrible news…… I do indeed have breast cancer.

And let me tell you….. the world stopped….. you hear of people saying the “world just stopped”, and it really did….dead silence, I had to remind myself to breathe…

I was and still am shocked! I had my first baseline mammogram at age 35 and it was fine. I was 40 years old when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I am now happy to say I am a seven year breast cancer survivor 🙂

Click the compass below to check out all the FREE Resources available on CancerButterfly.com to help you through your cancer treatment:

The MRI experience

Image result for mri machine

MRI (Magnetic Resonance imaging) is a test that uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to make pictures of organs and structures inside the body.

An MRI may be used for many reasons. It can be used to find problems such as tumors, bleeding, injury, blood vessel diseases, or infections.

The way the MRI was explained to me is that is a very sensitive mammogram that will be looking at all the cell tissue in both breasts and in the chest walls.

You may be given a gown to wear and will need to remove all metal objects (such as hearing aids, dentures, jewelry, watches, and hair clips).

You need to lie very still inside the MRI magnet, so you may need medicine to help you relax if you become nervous in confined spaces if you are claustrophobic.

Inside the scanner you will hear a fan and feel air moving. You may also hear noises as the MRI scans are taken. You may be given earplugs or earphones to wear to reduce the noise.

The MRI test usually takes 30-60 minutes.

I am claustrophobic so I can’t say the MRI was a fun experience for me, but I survived and you will too. My MRI test took 45 mins and during the test I just kept trying to redirect my mind to other things and not focus on where I was.

Click here to check out all the FREE Resources available on CancerButterfly.com to help you through your cancer treatment

Save money on out of pocket radiation treatment copays

As you go through several weeks of radiation during your cancer treatment you will accumulate a lot of various individual bills. I had 7 weeks of daily radiation and it seems like the radiation department billed my insurance every few days.

The costs of radiation can REALLY add up! Usually your health insurance company will have negotiated the rates on these services with the radiation department, but you may still have quite a bit to pay out of pocket on your co-pays.

The amount I owed the radiation department for my out of pocket co-pay cost for all my radiation expenses was $1,448.89.

Thankfully, I learned how to apply for a discount on these costs and luckily was able to receive a 57% discount off of that amount, so then I only owed $619.43!

When you also have out of pocket co-pays and deductibles to pay for chemotherapy, MRI, mammograms, Pet scans, blood work, surgery, etc., all the out of pocket costs can really start to add up! So anywhere you can save money helps a lot! Thankfully, there is financial help for cancer patients!

There is financial assistance for cancer patients available and grants for cancer patients to help offset chemotherapy cost and other out of pocket copays and deductibles. I am a breast cancer survivor and I can show you how you can apply for discounts on YOUR cancer treatment related radiation costs, hospital bill co-pays, and chemotherapy treatment co-pays that will save you MONEY!

History of the Butterfly symbol

Butterflies are deep and powerful representations of life. Many cultures associate the butterfly with our souls. The Christian religion sees the butterfly as a symbol of resurrection. Around the world, people view the butterfly as representing endurance, change, hope, and life.

Butterflies symbolize life struggles that people have endured to emerge as a better person.

Imagine your entire physical being changing to such an extreme that you are unrecognizable at the end of the transformation. Keep in mind, this change takes place in a short span of about a month (that’s the length of the butterfly life cycle). This is the deepest symbolic lesson of the butterfly. She asks us to accept the changes in our lives as casually as she does. The butterfly unquestioningly embraces the changes of her environment and her body. This unwavering acceptance of her metamorphosis is also symbolic of FAITH. Here the butterfly requests us to KEEP OUR FAITH as we move toward these changes throughout our lives. She understands that our worrying, frustration, and anger are useless against the constant changes of nature – she asks us to recognize the same.

Christianity believes the butterfly to be a symbol for the soul. We are all on a long journey of the soul through our lives. On this journey we encounter endless curves, swerves, and up-hill roads that cause us to emerge into finer beings. At our soul-journey’s end we are inevitably changed – not at all the same as when we started on our road. Our mission is to make our way in faith, accept the change that comes, and emerge from our transitions as gracefully as the butterfly.

To Native Americans the meaning of the Butterfly symbol signifies transformation. The butterfly is also believed to be a messenger from the spirit world. The message the butterfly brings depends on their color. A black butterfly indicates bad news or illness, yellow brings hope and guidance, brown signifies important news, red signifies an important event and white signifies good luck. A butterfly who lands on your shoulder brings you comfort……..may a butterfly land on your shoulder soon.

As you go through your cancer treatment may you be reminded of the butterfly and may she help bring you peace as she flies past 🙂

To help ease your burden as you go through cancer treatment we have a lot of resources available to help with chemotherapy cost, chemotherapy side effects, and radiation treatment costs. Click the compass below to check out all the FREE Resources available:

Don’t open the oven door with your wig on!

The biggest tip I can give you in the “wig” department is….. “don’t open the oven door with your wig on!” Both of the wigs I purchased were synthetic. I had no idea that synthetic wigs are HEAT SENSITIVE and I was just going about my business pulling dinner out of the oven and then I noticed when I walked past a mirror that my bangs were standing on end! Never to look the same again! The heat from the oven scorched my bangs 🙁 So then, I was on to wig number two.

If you are going through cancer treatment and chemotherapy is part of your medical treatment, losing your hair may be part of the deal as one of the chemotherapy side effects of some of the chemotherapy drugs. Keep in mind it is temporary and the chemotherapy hair loss, eyebrow hair loss and eyelash loss will grow back rather quickly once chemotherapy treatment is complete.

There are two main types of wigs:

Synthetic Hair Wig – generally less expensive than real human hair. You CAN NOT use hot styling tools on a synthetic wig unless it is a heat safe version. There is no styling necessary for synthetic wigs, since they come already styled. When wearing a synthetic wig be very careful to stay away from BBQ grills, ovens, stoves, and fireplaces!

Real Human Hair Wig – generally more expensive than synthetic wigs and has a higher quality texture of hair. This type of wig will allow you to be able to change the hairstyle and use hot styling tools on it.

It is recommended that you wash your wig after wearing it every 8-12 times. Don’t brush your wig when it is wet. The fibers in wigs are fragile and should only be brushed with a wig brush and only when the wig is dry. There is special wig shampoo that you can purchase at any wig shop.

The bangs on wigs are purposely left long so that each person can have them trimmed how they would like, since some people wear their bangs longer than others. After you purchase your wig you can take it to a hairdresser that has experience in cutting wigs and have the bangs trimmed how you would like. I also put hair clips in my wigs to make them look more like how I actually wear my hair.

Save money on out of pocket Hospital bill co-pays

As you go through cancer treatment you will accumulate a lot of various individual bills for hospital services. These services may include lab work, MRI, PET scan, echocardiogram, ultrasounds, X-rays, Mammograms, biopsies, genetic tests, surgery, and any other large test performed at the hospital.

The costs of all these tests can REALLY add up! Usually your health insurance company will have negotiated the rates on these services with your hospital, but you may still have quite a bit to pay out of pocket on your co-pays.

The amount I owed the hospital for my out of pocket co-pay cost for all my breast cancer related hospital expenses was $1,594.88. Thankfully, I learned how to apply for a discount on these costs and luckily was able to receive a 54% discount off of that amount, so then I only owed $726.22!

When you also have out of pocket co-pays and deductibles to pay for chemotherapy and radiation treatment, all the out of pocket costs can really start to add up! So anywhere you can save money helps a lot! Thankfully, there is financial help for cancer patients!

How to save money on chemotherapy treatment

Chemotherapy treatment can be VERY expensive depending on what type of insurance you have and how much your health insurance is contracted to cover of your chemotherapy treatment.

Chemotherapy grants and drug co-pay programs can help! Chemotherapy grants and drug co-payment programs have specific time deadlines and depending on the program may only go retro for 30-360 days from your “approved” date, so it is VERY important to apply for these right away.

The co-payment programs are available according to the type of cancer you have (example: breast cancer, colon cancer, thyroid cancer, etc.) and are also available according to the type of chemotherapy cancer treatment drugs you are receiving for your treatment.

The following are all drugs I received as part of my breast cancer treatment: Evista (hormone blocker), Emend (very expensive anti-nausea drug), Anzemet (chemo drug), Adriamycin (chemo drug), Cytoxan (chemo drug), Taxotere (very expensive chemo drug), Neulasta Injection (to ward off infection, very expensive!).

Actual cost for above chemo/drug expenses: $42,690.19

Contracted amount my insurance paid: $3,489.70

My “out of pocket” cost: $4,402.74

Amount I saved on my “out of pocket” cost by applying for cancer grants and co-payment programs: $2,076.17

I could have saved thousands of dollars more had I found out about these programs earlier in my treatment….ugh!!

Amount I actually paid out of pocket on my chemo: $2,326.57

So, you can see it is well worth it to apply for cancer grant programs! And saving on your chemotherapy treatment is just one piece of the savings puzzle, you can also save on your radiation treatment out of pocket costs, and on your hospital out of pocket costs!

Why keeping your cancer medical paperwork organized is important

Once you are diagnosed with cancer it is very frightening and overwhelming to just process all the medical information you are receiving, not to mention everything you need to now keep track of as far as paperwork.

It will be much easier for you if you just start out organized from the beginning of your treatment (or at least start where you are now) if at all possible. I remember once I started and continued through chemotherapy for breast cancer, it got more and more difficult to concentrate on things like reading a book, watching a movie, or focusing on any kind of paperwork.

Keeping things simple and having a specific place for everything will make things much easier and you will be able to stay on top of your paperwork much better and find what you need when you need it if you are organized.

There are several money saving programs available to help cancer patients with their cancer treatment related out of pocket co-pays. These programs require specific information from your medical paperwork (EOB’s – Explanation of Benefit) forms from your health insurance regarding each of your medical visits in order for them to determine your out of pocket expenses. Once you have all your information in order you will be ready to apply for Cancer Grants and Cancer treatment medical discounts.