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Caring for your Caregivers, Even the Money Ones….

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Everybody is constantly complaining about their insurance companies. I’ve posted many times about Medi-share and our experience there. I thought I would share this internal employee newsletter where they featured my story with their employees.

I think it’s important to remember the team of people behind you when you get hit with something, in my case, an ugly disease which was made much less stressful without the “fiscal duress” of unstable insurance or cost containment strategies.

Here’s the article.

February 4th is World Cancer Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness and education about cancer. CCM employees serve hundreds of cancer patients each month, Charlie is just one of them. 

Charlie went in for surgery in July of 2019 believing his tumor was benign. It wasn’t and he learned he would need extensive radiation treatment.

In Charlie’s words, “So this cancer journey isn’t cheap. Radiation, I understand costs roughly $3500-$4000 PER SESSION. I will be having thirty. That’s an estimated cost of $180,000-$200,000. Needless to say, I was feeling a bit anxious about the fiscal part of this journey.”

“I was literally sitting in my car waiting to go in for my first radiation treatment when I get a call from Medi-Share’s VP of Cost Management. He tells me not only are my bills fully shareable but he asks my permission to pre-pay all 30 treatments. I was speechless and incredibly thankful. For all the people who criticize Med-Share, I can’t say enough. These people are amazing! I am a member for life or as long as they’ll have me.”

Cancer is a scary diagnosis not only the physical hardship but add to that the economic ramifications. Never forget that your service to these families is priceless. Your prayers, your interventions on their behalf, your service to make sharing a reality are making a huge difference in their lives. 

Thank you to all of you who directly serviced Charlie and his family.

You are the story…

Weakness in Healing. 3 Weeks Post Radiation

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Yes, that picture is me on my 50th birthday. I’m just a couple of years older now but have been through more. It seems to me that without THAT strength the process I’ve just been through of enduring two surgeries and 30 radiation treatments would have been MUCH worse.

So the preface for the little pity rant I have now is that without preparation and strength, weakness would have been MUCH worse. I thank our trainer and coach Adam Hammett for making this real. Without him, I’m really not sure how this would have gone. Worse for sure.

So I finished radiation treatment three weeks ago. I was excited for the discomfort to come to an end.

It hasn’t.

In fact, it’s stayed pretty consistent. Headaches, fatigue, sinus pain from the treated area and some other things I won’t bore you with. Let’s just say I still can’t taste or smell. I must admit to getting a little irritable. When I met with our Dr. last week I asked how long this will take.

‘They don’t know. It could be two more weeks, months or even years. “. She says.

Well shoot. Time to get used to the new normal I guess.

Look I’m thankful it wasn’t worse. I have my eye and all my brain still in one piece. But I gotta tell you until you see the light at the end of the tunnel this is annoying.

So I go searching for some kind of uplifting passage about pain and healing. This one came up.

“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:4-5

Like many of you, I’ve read stories about the suffering endured on our behalf. I have to admit I still don’t really get it. I’m not suffering I’m merely annoyed and hurting a tiny fraction of what He endured. Why are we so weak? I do not feel strong today but I know I am, because I know I am not alone.

I’m looking forward to getting through on the other end of this and being the man that endured and thrived.

Until then I need some pain medicine. 👍 .

Pity party over. Carry on.

5 Things I learned during cancer treatment. Oh yea, and I am cancer free! #cancerfree #fuckcancer

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I just completed two surgeries and 30 treatments of radiation for a very rare sinus cancer. I was super lucky. I have all my body parts, my face is a bit crispy at the moment, but it’s in-tact. I am so thankful for the doctors and nurses at UTSW. They are amazing. But, this journey is different for everyone and no one experiences it the same.

Here’s a few things I learned:

  1. Cancer sucks. It impacts just about everyone at some point in their lives either directly or indirectly. It doesn’t discriminate. White, Black, Hispanic, rich, poor, young, old, whatever. It doesn’t matter.
  2. How your show up matters the most. In my experiences watching people go through this there’s a tremendous difference in the victim, the passenger or the warrior. The victim complains, the passenger takes what comes without comment and the warrior takes command. I think everyone is different. I started out in the passenger camp and ended up in the warrior camp. Again, I’m lucky so it’s easier for me to be that way.
  3. Some of your “friends” are faking it. This one really sucks to write, but it’s true. Some of your so called friends really don’t care. I see this as a great opportunity to learn who those are and pull some weeds. I had one guy (a customer posing as a friend) ask if I had a autopsy done yet. I told him I wasn’t dead yet but yes, I had pathology done and the result was malignant. He answers, “Hey where’s that report your promised.” You don’t need fakers in your life.
  4. Treatment is incredibly draining. I didn’t do chemo, but I see the results of radiation. I am exhausted. I’ve never NOT been able to do something because I was too tired. If someone is going through this, give them some space.
  5. Every case is different. I feel like these doctors are chasing ants and killing them one at a time, and each ant behaves differently, eats different stuff, looks different, etc. It’s literally impossible to get all the different varieties. For anyone who has looked at this disease, the variations are so endless, I have no idea how we can beat it until we find the core issues causing it. I have no idea what that is, but I plan to support organizations that have an idea where to start.

Last but not least is the biggest one. I saw a tumor in my head that looked huge. It’s now gone. But consider this.

You are only here today because God decided for you to be. You could have stepped off a step wrong, pulled into the wrong lane on the freeway, choked on your food, had a heart attack, been murdered, ANYTHING. The odds are truly against us having a pain free and suffering free life.

The real question is “What are you going to do with TODAY?” It’s a gift, you are only here because God wants you here.

Charlie Alsmiller

Look I’m no religious bigot or crazy bible beater, I get it. I am friends with non-believers and I can see how they got to where they got. But, in THIS experience, God was EVERYWHERE. The nurses, the hospital, the doctors, the community, my family, my body. It’s impossible to ignore.

So my parting thought here is this.

What are you going to do with tomorrow? What are you holding back on doing? Who are you holding back on loving? What thing can you do that makes an impact? Tomorrow might be the day that you end up with an Avocado in your head, like me.

Contact me anytime, I am going to go back to my normal posts of talking about software, marketing, self awareness and the like too but one thing is sure. I am different and tomorrow will be different because God has given me a cancer free future.

Love to you all.