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The Other Part of The Breast Cancer Fight

A breast cancer diagnosis can bring burdens far beyond the physical wellbeing of patients

EL CENTRAL by EL CENTRAL
September 28, 2023
in Español, Others
Reading Time: 8 mins read
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  • Molly MacDonald, Founder & CEO, Pink Fund
  • September 28, 2023
Español Abajo

As we approach October, we’re coming up on what is widely known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. While supporters and survivors often give back and reflect during this month, the financial burden of a breast cancer diagnosis is not commonly top of mind. This is why we at Pink Fund have coined the term Breast Cancer UNAwareness Month™. Many survivors are unaware that financial support like this exists, and many supporters are unaware of the need for non-medical financial assistance.

At its core, Pink Fund provides financial support, but also strives to serve as a resource for survivors, at any stage of a diagnosis. Coinciding with Hispanic Heritage Month, there is also an unawareness around the lapse in access to quality cancer care and support in minority communities, including the Hispanic community.

  • Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among Hispanic women. (National Cancer Institute)
  • Only 38% of Hispanic women aged 40 and older have regular mammogram screenings. Without screenings, cancer is found at later stages, lessening the chances of successful treatments. (National Cancer Institute)
  • The five-year breast cancer survival in Hispanic women is 88%, compared to 92% in non-Hispanic white women. (American Cancer Society)

As a breast cancer survivor, I know all too well what it’s like to battle the financial burdens of breast cancer while undergoing treatment to battle the disease. Diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in April 2005, the disease was unlikely to take my life, but it did take my livelihood. I was between jobs, my family’s already tight budget was immediately overrun by the addition of a monthly COBRA health insurance payment, and I lost my income.

Within months, my family and I faced the potential for catastrophic financial losses, including the loss of our home. At the end of treatment when family and friends stopped delivering dinner, I found myself at a local food bank to feed my family.

I quickly learned that this experience was not unique to me, and in some instances, much more dire for others. While sitting alongside other women in treatment waiting rooms, I listened to them weighing their options to skip treatment in order to keep up with their work schedule. Most concerning was the idea of stopping treatment altogether and returning to work.

It isn’t just time off and lost wages impacting those decisions. It was the cost of gas to get to and from appointments, parking fees, money spent on take-out meals, and sometimes overnight stays in nearby hotels when treatment centers were too far from home.
A 2020 study of breast cancer patients under 40 showed that 47% of the women surveyed were in financial decline due to their diagnosis. Forty-seven percent of the women also had to take unpaid time off work for their treatments.

When I asked the social worker where I was being treated for help in solving this issue, apart from a $50 Kroger gift card, she was unaware of any options to provide non-medical financial assistance.

So, in 2006, I founded Pink Fund, with my husband Tom, to address this issue of “financial toxicity” in the breast cancer space.

Women and their families should not be faced with impossible choices, like paying for their medication or mortgage, or making a car payment instead of paying for chemotherapy.

They shouldn’t have to, but the fact is they do.

Pink Fund provides 90 days of non-medical financial aid to cover the basic costs of living expenses, such as health insurance, housing, transportation, and utilities. By providing this financial assistance, Pink Fund helps to meet basic needs, while also decreasing stress levels. These factors help breast cancer patients focus on healing and improve survivorship outcomes and quality of life. Since its founding through August 2023, Pink Fund has made over $7.1 million in bill payments directly to patient’s creditors.

Real help is here for those in need. Please visit www.PinkFund.org for information on qualifying for support or to support a patient in need.

La otra parte de la lucha contra el cáncer de mama

Un diagnóstico de cáncer de mama puede conllevar cargas que van mucho más allá del bienestar físico de los pacientes

Llegando a octubre, nos acercamos a lo que se conoce ampliamente como el Mes de la Concientización sobre el Cáncer de Mama. Si bien los sobrevivientes y los que apoyan la causa, a menudo retribuyen y reflexionan durante este mes, la carga financiera del paciente no suele ser una prioridad. Es por eso que en Pink Fund hemos creado el término Mes del DESconocimiento del cáncer de mama. Muchos sobrevivientes desconocen que existe un apoyo financiero y algunos de los colaboradores desconocen la necesidad de asistencia financiera, no médica.

Pink Fund básicamente brinda apoyo financiero, pero también se esfuerza por servir como recurso para los sobrevivientes, en cualquier etapa del diagnóstico. Coincidiendo con el Mes de la Herencia Hispana, también se manifiesta un desconocimiento sobre la falta de acceso a atención y apoyo oncológico de calidad, en las comunidades minoritarias, incluida la comunidad hispana.

  • El cáncer de mama es la principal causa de muerte por cáncer entre las mujeres hispanas. (Instituto Nacional del Cáncer)
  • Sólo el 38% de las mujeres hispanas de 40 años o más se hacen mamografías con regularidad. Sin exámenes de detección, el cáncer se detecta en etapas posteriores, lo que reduce las posibilidades de que los tratamientos tengan éxito. (Instituto Nacional del Cáncer)
  • La supervivencia del cáncer de mama después de cinco años de las mujeres hispanas es del 88%, comparado con el 92% de las mujeres blancas no hispanas. (Sociedad Americana del Cáncer)

Como sobreviviente de cáncer de mama, sé muy bien lo que es luchar contra las cargas financieras, mientras se está sometida al tratamiento para combatir la enfermedad. Me diagnosticaron cáncer de mama en etapa temprana en abril de 2005. Era poco probable que la enfermedad me quitara la vida, pero sí me quitó el sustento. Estaba sin trabajo, el ya ajustado presupuesto de mi familia se vio inmediatamente superado por la adición de un pago mensual del seguro médico COBRA y perdí mis ingresos.

En cuestión de meses, mi familia y yo enfrentamos la posibilidad de sufrir pérdidas financieras catastróficas, incluida nuestra casa. Al final del tratamiento, cuando mis familiares y amigos dejaron de ayudarnos con las cenas, me encontré en un banco de alimentos local para alimentar a mi familia.

Rápidamente aprendí que esta experiencia no era solo mía y, en algunos casos, mucho más terrible para otros. Mientras estaba sentada junto a otras mujeres en las salas de espera del tratamiento, las escuchaba sopesar sus opciones de saltarse el tratamiento para poder mantenerse al día con su horario de trabajo. Lo más preocupante era la idea de suspender el tratamiento por completo y volver a trabajar.

No eran solo los días sin trabajar y la pérdida del salario lo que llevaba a tomar esas decisiones. Era el costo de la gasolina para ir y regresar de las citas, la tarifa del parqueo, el dinero gastado en comidas para llevar y, a veces, las pernoctaciones en hoteles cercanos cuando los centros de tratamiento quedaban demasiado lejos de casa.

Un estudio de 2020 de pacientes con cáncer de mama menores de 40 años mostró que el 47% de las mujeres encuestadas estaban en declive financiero debido a su diagnóstico. El cuarenta y siete por ciento de las mujeres también tuvo que ausentarse del trabajo, sin remuneración para acceder a sus tratamientos.

Cuando le comenté a la trabajadora social dónde me estaban tratando, que necesitaba ayuda para resolver este problema, aparte de darme una tarjeta de regalo de Kroger de $50, ella no conocía ninguna opción para brindar asistencia financiera no médica.

Entonces, en 2006, fundé Pink Fund, con mi esposo Tom, para abordar el problema del “sufrimiento económico” en el ámbito del cáncer de mama.

Las mujeres y sus familias no deberían enfrentarse a decisiones imposibles, como pagar sus medicamentos o su hipoteca, o pagar el carro en lugar de pagar la quimioterapia.

No deberían tener que hacerlo, pero el hecho es que sí.

Pink Fund proporciona 90 días de ayuda financiera no médica para cubrir los costos básicos de los gastos de vida, como seguro médico, vivienda, transporte y servicios públicos. Al brindar esta asistencia financiera, Pink Fund ayuda a satisfacer las necesidades básicas y al mismo tiempo reduce los niveles de estrés. Estos factores ayudan a las pacientes con cáncer de mama a centrarse en la curación y mejorar los resultados de supervivencia y la calidad de vida. Desde su fundación hasta agosto de 2023, Pink Fund ha ayudado con más de $7,1 millones en pagos de facturas directamente a los acreedores de los pacientes.

La verdadera ayuda está aquí para aquellos que la necesitan. Visite pinkfund.org para obtener información sobre cómo calificar para recibir apoyo o para ayudar a un paciente que lo necesite.

Tags: cancerHealth
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