The Cost of Cancer

This isn’t about Obamacare or the Medical Mafia – this is simply about the cost of cancer as a whole.

Obviously, June has monthly house-hold expenses.   Now she has another dependent to take care of…  cancer.   At it has a lot of needs.

• Co-pay (oncologist & cardiologist)
• Deductible (visits & procedures)
• Medication (holy moly – you cannot imagine!)
• Essentials (wigs, caps, comfort items, etc)

I was taken aback at the expense not covered by insurance.   I call the bill collectors her fan base!   But seriously it is enough to make anyone sick, regardless of the cancer!

Then there is the other costs associated:

• pride
• fatigue
• asking for help
• disappointing others
• depending on others
• not meeting demands of family, friends, work

And the things you lose:

• freedom to do things on your own
• strength and self-assurance
• friends and family when they don’t call or answer the phone
• hair
• appetite
• ability to think past cancer
• ability to help others

Cancer robs you of so much more than your life!   It takes so much more from you long before it wins.   Do we need to take that into account when people say they give up and can’t fight it anymore?   What can we do to help the sufferers so the hill isn’t as steep?

The little things mean so much more than they used to.   The deposits of gratitude go much further for her.   Perhaps we should take a lesson from that.

I believe attitude is everything.   Right now, June has a great attitude.  There is a decision made that comes down to the will to live or the will to die.   It’s a conscious decision, one made from strength of every ounce of your being, every day.   The will to die, comes from places like fear and uncertainty – not from weakness.   Maybe it isn’t the cancer that wins, but when you’ve lost the last thing you can’t stand to lose, you can’t win!