I spent NEARLY A YEAR - 80 to 100 hours on the phone - FIGHTING my insurance company for reimbursement of a covered benefit: the Paxman cold cap that saved most of my hair during chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. FIGHTING alongside member services to resubmit the claim over and over again after the claims department denied it for one absurd reason or another, and then STILL DENYING IT after we did exactly what they said to do, every time. It is ONLY BECAUSE my company is based in California and I had the rights of a Californian under my plan, that I finally received a check for the $1,600 I paid out-of-pocket upfront out of fear I wouldn’t receive the cold cap in time for my first treatment.
It is also because my insurance company’s member services told me to file a complaint AGAINST THEIR OWN CLAIMS DEPARTMENT, with the California Department of Managed Healthcare I never knew existed, that oversees plans like mine. It’s because my “complicated case” that took longer than normal for them to review, was reviewed, and finally ruled in my favor. And because the incredibly kind woman assigned to my case at my insurance company was so horrified by all I had to do that she walked straight over to the check-writer’s desk and had him process it that day. Valentine’s Day. 
So it’s because I can only imagine how many people give up the fight that I am donating that $1,600 to two local D.C. area organizations supporting women going through cancer in underserved communities. Women who don’t have the time or the means or the rights to fight, who skip treatment because they don’t have rides or childcare, who can’t afford screenings or their medical bills.
Those two organizations are Nueva Vida and The National Breast Center Foundation. All donations will be evenly split between the two. Every dollar helps!
If you are so inclined, know that your contributions WILL help save lives, and help families in need throughout the fight.
Let’s make sure NO ONE FIGHTS ALONE. 💗💪💗
