10 Years Later.

I called my cancer center today to check in on my balance & payment plan, and see where I was at. Marissa, who helps me EVERY time, (bless her heart!), told me I had a balance of $46, and my $50 payment comes out tomorrow.

I said to her, there has to be a mistake. I'm sure I had a balance upwards of $300 or so (which isn't a lot, I guess? But, I have many many med bills, and have had for 10 years, so it adds up, trust me).

She said no, as of tomorrow, you will be at a zero dollar balance. I kid you not, I immediately started crying, ask my co-workers. I was so beyond happy. This is a bill I have been "paying off" for TEN YEARS this December. TEN YEARS. At one point, this balance was over $10k. Every year, more is added onto it for my CT/PET scans, blood-work, etc. My onco still has me seeing him for post-treatment scans, and I believe that this November might be my last one since I'll hit my 10 year diagnosis anniversary in December.

I was crying tears of joy. I couldn't believe I FINALLY paid this off. Let me tell you, cancer IS NOT free. Not even close. I'm healthy now, but still have had this following me around. This is not me being sympathetic towards myself, we all have bills, & med bills, especially. For me, it's a huge triumph. I paid this off. Finally. It took me ten years, but I am SO PROUD & SO HAPPY.

Back when I received my Samfund grant, in 2008, they negotiated my bill down and paid off a lot of it to help relieve that burden. That was a life-saver for me. I remember going in for treatment/post-treatment and they'd pull me into a side room and say "Katherine, we'd really like a $3000 payment today. We can't refuse treatment, but we strongly recommend you make that payment today". Imagine how scary that is. Who can afford that? I didn't ask for cancer, I didn't want it. It came with a price. I just can't believe that it's paid off now. Maybe I sound crazy for celebrating something so "menial", but this is huge for me.

This is purely why I chose to volunteer & fundraise for The Samfund. This is why. I can't even imagine what I would have done without them. They relieved a huge burden off of my shoulders so I could focus on my health + moving forward. Look where I am now? I hope you'll consider making a donation to my fundraising page. Today is the last day of the campaign, and like I always say, no donation is too small. I mean that. I love this organization, it's so near & dear to me. They are everything, and your donation will go on to make a CHANGE in someone's life, as it did in mine back in 2008.

If you would like to donate, you can do so by clicking here.