Throughout all the hardship I have endured the past few months, I have had to worry about one less thing – my health insurance...

I am a two-time breast cancer survivor. My first diagnosis was in 2011, and then again in 2023. I am also a single mother to two boys. Being a single parent is hard enough on its own, adding a cancer diagnosis and months of treatment can make it nearly impossible. Throughout all the hardship I have endured the past few months, I have had to worry about one less thing – my health insurance. Before I found the Wichita Cancer Foundation, I was paying 100% of my monthly premium out-of-pocket as my employer does not offer any benefits. The grant I received from the Wichita Cancer Foundation came through at the perfect time as I was missing a lot of work, and it has allowed me to not worry about having any gap in coverage...The Wichita Cancer Foundation has truly been a blessing.

Marjorie Anderson
Patient Stories

The Wichita Cancer Foundation has helped to relieve an enormous amount of that burden for us...

This wonderful organization has taken a tremendous load off of our shoulders. When a family receives a cancer diagnosis, it feels like money should be the last thing you worry about, but it's often the first, and the most pressing. The Wichita Cancer Foundation has helped to relieve an enormous amount of that burden for us. No one should have to choose between being able to afford insurance and being able to take care of their families, and the Wichita Cancer Foundation has made sure that we don't have to make that difficult choice. I really don't know how we would be making it without them...They are doing amazing work, and they are truly helping people at some of the most vulnerable parts of their lives.

Julie Alford
Patient Stories

The Wichita Cancer Foundation’s loving arms have helped me more than I can ever thank them...

The Wichita Cancer Foundation was my savior and has paid for my Cobra insurance, so I can continue to receive my treatments. The cost of that “modern medicine” is extremely expensive, and without their assistance, I simply could not afford it. The Wichita Cancer Foundation’s loving arms have helped me more than I can ever thank them.

Melissa Hulse
Patient Stories

You guys are able to support me, my husband, and our two sons through your assistance...

First of all I want to say thank you, I am just so grateful for your foundation because I was very concerned about how I was going to pay for my insurance. You guys are able to support me, my husband, and our two sons through your assistance. Knowing that I can go to the doctor and have my insurance paid for is a blessing. I am very, very thankful. This experience has changed me, and because of your assistance, I am more willing to pay it forward to others. I am very grateful. I mean this from the bottom of my heart.

Anitha Lyimo
Patient Stories

It's a blessing to know that there are people out there who are willing to help.

Over the course of the last 6 months, it has been a very emotional time- it's stressful with all of the bills coming in. With WCF coming alongside us, it's freed up a lot of money that wouldn't have been there. It's really been a life-changing experience. It's a blessing to know that there are people out there who are willing to help.

Jennifer Spires
Patient Stories

I would like to thank the Wichita Cancer Foundation for being a lifesaver, literally.

I would like to thank the Wichita Cancer Foundation for being a lifesaver, literally. I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in March, and I have been unable to work. WCF has been paying my health insurance, so I can receive treatment. My family would like to thank you also. Without your help, I do not know what I would have done. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart!

Nancy Wilczek
Patient Stories

...You folks represent the cream of the crop- kind, compassionate, and caring....

To all you donors, to all you selfless and kind people: thank you. Thank you, thank you, for caring about somebody else, that you don't even know. To put up your money to assist people in Kansas [is inspiring]. That is what I love about Kansas, that's just how we are. We are the kind of people who help other people. You folks represent the cream of the crop- kind, compassionate, and caring. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Loletia Williams
Patient Stories

The Wichita Cancer Foundation gave me some needed peace during such a scary time...

The Wichita Cancer Foundation gave me some needed peace during such a scary time. Having a cancer diagnosis is one thing, but the stress of finances on top of it all was a lot. They paid for my premium and that made sure I was covered by my insurance!! Thank you WCF!

Hallie Obrock
Patient Stories

...Being emotionally healthy is so important to our physical health, and not stressing as much about paying for the medical treatment I need has helped me, almost, fully recover…

I am a dental hygienist and a single mother of two girls. In August of 2018, I began experiencing some severe abdominal pain that lasted about a week. My wonderful mother forced me to go to the emergency room, and that trip was the beginning of a life-changing experience.

An abdominal CT was done, and the ER doctor explained that there was a mass on the tail of my pancreas. I have enough medical background to know that you never want to hear the words “mass” and “pancreas” in the same sentence. The doctor explained that the chance of it being cancer is a lot slimmer than if it was in a different location, but I would need to see a surgeon right away to have it removed. Next, there were biopsies, consultations, vaccinations, hospital stays, immediate care visits, and at least 15 primary care visits. That was all before surgery, which was performed two months after the initial scan. In October, my surgical oncologist performed a distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy, which consisted of a five-day stay in the hospital.

As I was recovering from surgery and still did not know if I had cancer or what kind, the bills started coming in. There wasn’t just one bill per visit or procedure, but there was a bill from the hospital that did the scan, the anesthesiologist from my biopsy, the gastroenterologist who did the biopsy, the place the biopsy was performed, the radiologist who read the CT scans, the ER doctors, the hospital stays, and my primary care doctor, just to name some. A week after surgery, I was informed I had a mucinous static neoplasm, a form of cancer that hasn’t yet become invasive. If it has the opportunity to become invasive, it can be very aggressive. I was very lucky. I also had to add an oncologist to my list of specialists. I’m not complaining. I was so lucky.

The only treatment I currently need is routine CT scans and blood work. I also have to see many other specialists to figure out how to live without a spleen and half a pancreas. Anytime I have a fever, I have to go to the ER for blood work. My blood sugar is getting high, and becoming diabetic may be inevitable, but I truly believe I am so lucky.

I work for a small dental practice that doesn’t offer medical insurance, so I have to buy my policy from the market place. I fall into the three percent of Kansans who have to buy private insurance and do not qualify for subsidies. I found out about the Wichita Cancer Foundation shortly after being diagnosed. I figured I wouldn’t qualify since I wasn’t undergoing chemo or radiation, but I was approved, and what a relief! There were thousands of dollars of medical bills I had to get caught up, and their help made it possible. I have to have CT scans every four months for the next three years. My first follow-up CT was done in February, and everything looked clear! When I got the bill for $968 for that test alone, I didn’t freak out because I knew I had some help during this hard time. I can’t explain how much the WCF has helped me. Being emotionally healthy is so important to our physical health and not stressing as much about paying for the medical treatment I need has helped me almost fully recover.

Amanda Kippenberger
Patient Stories

...Thanks to the Wichita Cancer Foundation, I got the insurance I needed to receive the care for me to fight…

In 2016, there were several major circumstances that caused a financial hardship in my life that led to needing financial assistance from the Wichita Cancer Foundation. In April 2016, I was diagnosed with having two large fibroid tumors that needed to be surgically removed. In May 2016, I lost a full-time job, which also caused me to lose medical coverage provided under the company I worked for. As a result, I qualified for the Obama Health Care program, but paying the monthly premium still posed another problem. After earnestly looking for a permanent, full-time job, I had no other option but to take a part-time job position, which only paid $8.50 per hour and did not offer health insurance benefits because of the part-time status.

In August 2016, the fibroid surgery was performed, but during the surgery, the surgeon ran blood tests, which revealed my white blood cell count was 45,000. The normal range should be under 10,000. Three days after the surgery, I was sent to an oncologist, where the doctor performed a bone marrow biopsy. After the test results came back a few weeks later, I was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and immediately prescribed Gleevec Chemotherapy tablets, which I must take daily without missing a dosage. I needed to start treatment right away, but the cost would be very expensive.

Then I learned about the Wichita Cancer Foundation. From that moment until now, they have generously supported me. This was a true matter of life or death. If I was not able to get the care I needed, my diagnosis would have been a death sentence. Thanks to the Wichita Cancer Foundation, I got the insurance I needed to receive the care for me to fight.

Anisa Moore
Patient Stories