Sunday, May 30, 2004

Bad news / good news

I haven't mentioned here yet about something big that's been weighing on my mind over the past couple weeks. Misty's mom has been diagnosed with cancer. Worse, it's something that's bothered her since November, but she didn't want to "be a burden," so she's just continued in pain for several months without seeing a doctor until now. Next week, she's having a hysterectomy to try to remove the cancer. According to the doctors, this procedure is successful 90% of the time, so we're trying not to worry unnecessarily.

Our big worry though has been with money. It's the same reason Misty's mom didn't act immediately when she was in pain. She doesn't have medical insurance, and she doesn't make anywhere near enough money at her job to be able to afford such a major medical procedure. While she's out of work recovering from the surgery, she won't have any income at all. She doesn't want the financial burden to fall on her daughter, even though Misty and I wouldn't hesitate to help her. I told frankly that, yes, it is going to be tough for us. We can't afford it either, especially since Misty's been out of work for two months. But whatever burden it would be, it wouldn't be as bad as having Misty lose her mother and Emily growing up without knowing one of her grandmothers.

This evening, however, we got some relieving news. UAB has approved Misty's mom for financial aid. She isn't going to have to pay for one bit of her surgery. In fact, she'll be able to take advantage of their services for any non-elective procedures for the next year. This turn of events has lifted a big weight off of our minds. Likewise, it's helped Misty's mother feel significantly less worried.

No comments: