I saved a life last week. I’m not usually in that position. I’m not a doctor or medical professional I work in the financial arena for a Cancer Education organization (American Cancer Educational Services/American Cancer Fund). However, the health care crisis has caused nearly every American to behave differently and reach out beyond their comfort level and beg, plead or fight for the medical care that we believe should be our birthright. Unfortunately the healthcare insurance industry has taken our ‘birthright’ away.

My organization typically helps people find cancer resources on the internet. It could be the name and phone number for a local support group or an explanation of the Cancer diagnosis they just received.

More and more the calls we receive are about finding the dollars to pay a medical bill. At one time we had many resources; different from state to state, but resources none the less. Today, after the Bernie Madoff fiasco and the terrible economic downturn many charities and foundations have closed their doors leaving many in need without a safety net.

Last week the call was from the Overlook (NJ) hospital oncology group. They had a patient needing a life saving drug treatment that cost $40,000. The patient was a 40 year old man, a carpenter, with metastatic melanoma. He did not have any health insurance and made too much money last year to qualify for federal programs. He fell between the cracks!

So, I started searching and surfing, making phone calls and trying to find the support we needed to help this stranger. It took a while but finally I found the appropriate person at the drug company that could start a process to determine eligibility to receive the specific drug. We got the manufacturers rep on the phone with the patient and started the process. The next day I received the call. The patient ‘qualified’ and the drug company was to FedEx the drug to the doctor and hospital for this mans treatment. He would get this life saving drug at no cost. The Doctors office called me an angel. The patient would be hospitalized shortly and receive the necessary, life saving drug treatment. I had saved a life. I do not know who he is or what will happen next but I am glad my organization is in a position to do what we can to help during these extraordinary times. If this doesn’t show how badly we need health reform, I don’t know what will.

Do the Insurance Companies need to make such great profits that the average person can no longer afford to be covered? Where is the sensibility of the American ethic? While I am trying very hard to be ‘a-political’ I still have to ask. How have we as Americans allowed the richest 1% of the population to control not only seventy percent of the nations wealth but how have we allowed this elite, some might say greedy and insensitive group to now be in control of our very lives and determine if we are ‘qualified’ to live.

Please visit us on the web and donate if you can. www.FocusOnCancer.org or www.AmericanCancerFund.org

Shari Lerer, CFO/Treasurer