[fauxgypsy]

I put off checking out my lump for a couple of months beacause I didn't have insurance. When I did go I almost had the same thing hapen to me. I had scheduled an appointment for a biopsy in Memphis and they were going to do it under one of their grant programs but they called and told me that if I was diagnosed through them that I would not qualify for the Breast and Cervicle Cancer screening program in the state of Mississippi. That was the first I had heard of the program. My primary care physician had not heard of it. I have since been telling everyone that I know about it. I can see that that is not enough. There are still some problems with it but I am very thankful that they told me about in time. Such as finding doctors who take it, lympodema specialists who take it, and I am thankful that I never had a lot of trouble with my white blood cells because I was never offered Neulasta even though everyone I know that was on the same medication I was on got it every time they had chemo. I don't think that it is fair that the working poor and uninsured should be so severely penalized. I had tried to get insurance but was turned down because of health problems in the past. I was looking into the state high risk pool insurance but from what I saw I couldn't afford it.

Some days, I get very discouraged pushing to get the care I need. I don't know that it would be all that different if I had private insurance, I think it might just be another set of problems. Still, I feel very lucky that I found out about the program in time.

Leslie