The financial toxicity of cancer

I’ve had breast cancer on both sides 7 years apart.  I was also diagnosed with follicular non-hodgkin’s lymphomas later in the same year as the second breast cancer. Although I worked full time though chemo, eventually I didn’t have my contract renewed because I was “too expensive for their insurance”.  These cancers are in remission but I still need periodically monitoring. For financial reasons I have not finished the mastectomy reconstruction nor repaired a surgical complication.
 
Financially this was, and is, a catastrophe. I have finally exhausted my savings and am not making enough to pay for basic needs for myself and for my elderly cat (whom I have had since she was 10 days old).  My medical debt is growing. I’d love a job but until I find one donations are needed, thus this gofundme.

I am trying to dig out from under cancer and other medical debt. I have been chipping away at it steadily and all my legacy bills are finally paid off. Currently I am still about 2 years behind.  Where I go for cancer monitoring needs me to make more payments so they don’t cut off care. I haven't made a payment since May to the cancer center in Houston. I am in collection with a local medical center for some of those bills. 

 Money donated would be used to pay off my medical bills (if you want to pay some directly contact me), pay for prescribed medication that I can’t afford, pay for vet needs for my elderly cat, make sure I have enough to continue to pay for health insurance, make up the difference between what I earn and what I need for basic subsistence level living expenses, and pay for some deferred repairs on my 10 year old car.

Unfortunately I have never been able to secure anything other than temporary work since this happened. I am in need of a job, any job. After losing my teaching job (I have an MBA and PhD in Management) I have worked for minimum wage (temporary seasonal position doing manual labor for a plant vendor, after school child care, care of farm animals, and applied for many others) and have had temporary professional work (online adjunct teaching and subject matter expert course shell design, a visiting teaching position, and a very short term consulting position). Being over qualified is a problem for being hired for non-professional jobs. Age discrimination and the gap in my resume/vitae present problems finding professional employment. I would be glad to relocate for a professional (inside or outside of education) position.

Any help, along with employment leads, would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.

Here is a link to the news story for breast cancer month that featured me (part 1):

https://www.facebook.com/WJTV12/videos/2361497640778926/

https://www.wjtv.com/news/digital-first-woman-loses-everything-battling-cancer/

Part 2:

https://www.wjtv.com/news/digital-first-survivor-helps-other-uninsured-patients-find-help/