Survivor Stories
Darlene Stevens
Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County
Until about four years ago, I was a flight attendant and had health insurance to cover mammograms and other routine exams. The work was extremely stressful though so when my doctor recommended a career change, I moved in with my mom and stepdad and started training to be a nail technician. I looked into getting insurance on my own but there was no way I could afford it.
Diagnosis and Treatment
In 2008, I started working as a nail tech and moved from Abbottstown to be closer to my new job. My doctor kept hounding me to get a mammogram and told me I could get one through the PA Department of Health HealthyWoman program. I didn't think about how I would pay for surgery or treatment if cancer was detected through the mammogram. I just never expected to hear that I had breast cancer. When I did get that news, it was about a half hour before I was due at work. I went to work, told my boss and we cried together. Then I started work because I thought I might lose a lot of days and I didn't know how I was going to afford to have something like this happen to me. I was diagnosed with stage 2 HER-2 positive ductal carcinoma, then had a biopsy and found that it was outside the duct. The lymph nodes were clear so that was good.
I was so shocked when the woman with HealthyWoman told me about the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment program (BCCPT)*, which provides FREE TREATMENT for uninsured and underinsured women with breast cancer. I had no idea that such a thing existed. She took care of all the paperwork and even said that if I got any bills, I should send them to her. That helped me out tremendously. I was able to concentrate on getting better. The financial burden was lifted from me.
Live Life Like You're Cured
Everything was completely covered, even medical expenses that were not related to my breast cancer. In June I got a lump on my thyroid that required surgery. Until that happened, I didn't realize that it would be covered under the free treatment program. I live within my means, but I can't imagine how anyone would be able to afford the cost of breast cancer treatment. The Lupron injection and the herceptin treatment I get would cost about 6,000 each month. I will be on tamoxifen for another 4 years.
Through all of this, my mom was a great supporter. She's the one who has gone with me to every treatment and doctor appointment. She's the one I've counted on to be there for me.
The OncoTypeDX test has determined that my recurrence score is rather high. One day my oncologist Dr. Gordon at Andrews & Patel said, "Live life like you're cured." I always think about that, because if you think about cancer all the time, you'll drive yourself crazy with "what if 's." If it comes up again, I'll deal with it then. In the meantime, I will live life like I'm cured.
 |
|
Darlene Stevens tells her story at a recent PBCC seminar on the free treatment program |
Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County
Until about four years ago, I was a flight attendant and had health insurance to cover mammograms and other routine exams. The work was extremely stressful though so when my doctor recommended a career change, I moved in with my mom and stepdad and started training to be a nail technician. I looked into getting insurance on my own but there was no way I could afford it.
Diagnosis and Treatment
In 2008, I started working as a nail tech and moved from Abbottstown to be closer to my new job. My doctor kept hounding me to get a mammogram and told me I could get one through the PA Department of Health HealthyWoman program. I didn't think about how I would pay for surgery or treatment if cancer was detected through the mammogram. I just never expected to hear that I had breast cancer. When I did get that news, it was about a half hour before I was due at work. I went to work, told my boss and we cried together. Then I started work because I thought I might lose a lot of days and I didn't know how I was going to afford to have something like this happen to me. I was diagnosed with stage 2 HER-2 positive ductal carcinoma, then had a biopsy and found that it was outside the duct. The lymph nodes were clear so that was good.
I was so shocked when the woman with HealthyWoman told me about the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment program (BCCPT)*, which provides FREE TREATMENT for uninsured and underinsured women with breast cancer. I had no idea that such a thing existed. She took care of all the paperwork and even said that if I got any bills, I should send them to her. That helped me out tremendously. I was able to concentrate on getting better. The financial burden was lifted from me.
Live Life Like You're Cured
|
“I went to work, told my boss and we cried together. Then I started work because I thought I might lose a lot of days and I didn't know how I was going to afford to have something like this happen to me..” - Darlene Stevens |
Through all of this, my mom was a great supporter. She's the one who has gone with me to every treatment and doctor appointment. She's the one I've counted on to be there for me.
The OncoTypeDX test has determined that my recurrence score is rather high. One day my oncologist Dr. Gordon at Andrews & Patel said, "Live life like you're cured." I always think about that, because if you think about cancer all the time, you'll drive yourself crazy with "what if 's." If it comes up again, I'll deal with it then. In the meantime, I will live life like I'm cured.
Copyright © 2011 PA Breast Cancer Coalition
Website Design & Development by Mile 6, LLC