“Reason this person is a Gold Ribbon Hero: Julian fought the ugly monster for 4 years and he earned his wings on 8-8-15. Even though he was in pain he always gave us a smile so that we wouldn’t see his pain. He was selfless everyday. So brave. …always.” – Leonor C.
“Reason this person is a Gold Ribbon Hero: Dustin is my hero because I see him overcome so much… 4 yrs old.. non-verbal, Autism, and now, leukemia. He bravely fights his battle with a smile on his face and without words, encourages me to stay strong as well. I’m amazed by him daily and couldn’t be more proud of him!!!” – Heather C.
“Reason this person is a Gold Ribbon Hero: After hearing a little girl cry in the hospital while he himself was going through treatment for Glioblastoma, Michael came up with the idea of Michael’s Meanies. www.michaelsmeanies.com
Since that time July 2013, his idea has been made into stress balls for kids with cancer to use during treatment to take out their frustrations. Currently they have been sent to 220 hospitals in 15 countries throughout the world.” – Linda C.
“Reason this person is a Gold Ribbon Hero: Well Skyla has DBA a rare blood disorder and has been tough through the whole thing. Skyla is going through a bone marrow transplant soon and she only has a 20% of living.” – Katie H.
“Reason this person is a Gold Ribbon Hero: Julian is 10 years old..and has been fighting his war again neuroblastoma for 4 years. He is always smiling and giving kisses. He is such a brave warrior and he never let’s it get him down. I think he deserves the gold ribbon hero because he is a hero. .he is my hero!!” – Tammy T.
When your child has just been diagnosed with cancer, your top priority is ensuring that your child gets immediate access to the treatment protocols he or she needs to fight back against this terrible disease. The very last thing you want to worry about is money: whether you can afford the very best care and what it will mean for the financial future of your family. However, taking the time to consider the financial implications of childhood cancer and developing a strategy to approach them will go a long way to ensuring a happy, healthy future for everyone in your family.
At the ACCO, our goal is to support families facing a cancer diagnosis to ensure that their time and energy can be devoted to helping their child get the best possible care and treatment. Our extensive network of local groups provides on-the-ground assistance to families, including financial support and advice, help with transportation and daycare, shopping and meal-planning, and all the many little things that become so difficult when a child is in treatment. For help finding a local group near you, we encourage you to visit www.acco.org.
The first critical step in approaching financial planning for cancer treatment is to determine whether you have private insurance and if so, what parts of the treatment are covered and by how much, and what requires advanced authorization for coverage. The paperwork can be daunting, especially at a time when you are already trying to cope with the shock, disbelief, pain, denial, and sorrow that comes from the initial diagnosis. However, there are resources available to help you, including the hospital billing office, where administrators specialize in helping families navigate through the complicated world of insurance payments, co-pays, authorizations, and other minutia associated with insurance coverage.
If you do not currently have health insurance, there are still a variety of options to ensure financial coverage for childhood cancer treatments, including signing up for health insurance through your employer if offered, purchasing a private health insurance plan, signing up for a health plan offered through state marketplaces (developed under the Affordable Care Act), or applying for Medicaid or other low-income health care assistance. Some of the factors that you may consider while comparing different plans include:
You may also consider speaking directly to the hospital billing staff about coverage options and any discounts available to your family to help mitigate the high cost of cancer treatments.
In addition to planning for the cost of treatment, there are a variety of additional, and potentially unanticipated costs that can easily accumulate unexpectedly during this difficult time. For example, you may need to plan accommodations for you and other family members when your child is undergoing his or her treatment, transportation costs, and child care for other children in the family. One parent may even have to leave his or her job or take unpaid leave due to the child’s treatment schedule, resulting in the potential loss of much-needed income. While it can be difficult to anticipate these auxiliary costs of fighting cancer treatment, taking the time to plan for the unexpected and relying on the support and advice of families who have been there as well can help mitigate the potentially high costs of helping your child fight–and win–the battle against childhood cancer.
For more information about the American Childhood Cancer Organization and how we can help, call 855.858.2226 or visit:
“Reason this person is a Gold Ribbon Hero: Jackson Miles Patterson was born on December 1, 2013. Life for Jackson and his family made a sudden and unwanted change in November of 2014 when he was diagnosed with a Rhabdoid tumor, a rare and aggressive form of childhood cancer. However, Jackson was a fighter; he fought hard to defy the overwhelming odds against him. He was given chemotherapy to shrink the tumor on his abdomen and it was removed in February of 2015. Jackson displayed great strength during his fight, inspiring all of the members of “Team Jackson” who rallied to his side. He loved popcorn and despicable me. He danced often and loved his two older siblings. At age 1, Jackson passed away July 23, 2015 at his home surrounded by his loving family. He is the definition of a hero. He kept his bright personality till the very end!” – Annabel P
