Hi everyone. My husband has oral cancer. I have posted two messages about him. He will be seeing the surgeon on Wed. to find out when he will be having surgery to remove cancer from his mouth 2 lymph nodes and his jaw. They will be replacing his jaw. Along with our concerns about his surgery we are also concerned about our bills. He is the bread winner in our family. I have talked about getting a Job, but until he has his surgery and gets back home and gets on the road to recovery I don't want to leave him. My husband said he read somewhere in here about a man that got help with his bills. Does anyone know anything about this? My husband is not working much because he stays sick all the time and because of all the Dr appt's he has has to go to. If anyone can help me with this info i would be greatly thankful.

Hi Cindy, You may want to try using an internal search for what you are looking for. Click on the "search" button and type in a keyword. I typed in "financial help" and came up with several posts - some of which I think will be beneficial for you to look at. Hope this helps.

Hi Cindy E,

You both need to be able to focus on getting well without added stress. Call all the places that you owe money to and tell them what is going on. Ask them what arrangements can be made. Find out if he has any kind of disability insurance. Call any State or County agencies (social services) and let them help you. You may want to seek a competent financial counsellor to assist you.

You are in a time of need, ask for help. Local groups might be able to put on a fundraiser or benefit dinner on your behalf. It isn't always easy to become so reliant on others for help but it is ok. When you have recovered you can return the favor by volunteering to help someone else.

Take care

I am new here, but am with Mark on his idea for a fundraiser. Anyone in your family, or good friends, can put together a fundraiser (like a "Walk for Cancer" or a beef and beer. The walk is the easiest because you just find people who are willing to sponsor a walker (ie, will contribute $10 towards that walker) and all of the money collected is given to your family. You can easily raise thousands of dollars if you know enough people and your friends and family are willing to pass the word around. The benefits like a beef and beer are good, but require a little more planning on your part because you need food, a dj, a place to hold it, etc. And as for money, he should be able to collect some sort of state disability, you would just need your doctor to fill out a portion of the paper saying your husband will not be able to work for a certain period, (maybe 6 months or whatever it may be). You will pull through, everyone does, and you will be a stronger person in the end. Best of luck to you and your family and I pray everything comes out right for you in the end.
Desiree'

Hi Cindy:

Cancer makes for trying times and it is very hard to worry about paying bills when worrying about surviving this ordeal is probably uppermost in your mind instead.
But, reality does intervene...

My advice to you is to see if the hospital where your husband is receiving treatment has a case management department. This department is usually staffed by nurses who follow the client as an inpatient and often help find and set up outpatient services. There are funds available here in Massachusetts for persons who are out of work due to cancer related treatment. Although I am unsure how it works in your state, it is worth checking options. I can tell you that it seems help is not well advertised(hmm...wonder why that is?). A fellow patient who was ahead of my fiance Dave in the treatment process happened to mention that if we had financial difficulties there may be short-term help.

If the hospital doesn't have a case management department(most major medical centers do) try checking with the social service department.

My best to you and your husband during the treatment process. I look forward to following his progress.

Kim

Usually there is a social service person at the hospital that can give you resources for financial assistance. If you are applying for SSDI there is a 5 month waiting period (from date of diagnosis). Make an appointment right away and be sure to bring ALL of the required paperwork. You will need all of your diagnosis documents, copies of all tests run, birth certificate, etc. The American Cancer Society will reimburse up to $250.00 for mileage. You should be able to get lifeline rates on your utility bills (phone, gas&electric, water). If he has worked recently, he may be eligible for state disability also -this will be subtracted from the amount paid by SSDI. Talk to the benevolence team at your church. Most churches have funds to assist people going through this. They typically won't pay credit cards but will pay monthly bills, medical insurance and my church gives vouchers for the local supermarket also. If you have a mortgage, see if they will readjust your interest rate for a year. I did and lowered my payment $500.00/mo and it was a big help. You may be eligible for in home supportive services (if its available in your state) where your caregiver is given a small salary to take care of you (and spouses are ok). If you qualify for SSDI, you can qualify for IHSS also. Usually a county run program. Be patient -it takes a fair amount of time doing all of this stuff and jumping through all the hoops. If your husband has been sick and unable to work for some time then you might be able to get your SSDI claim date retroactive. You will need a letter from the doctor at least. SSDI maximum is $1470.00/mo. Fundraisers are all fine and good as long as someone else does all the work. I've been a musician for 40 years and I'm still waiting for the fundraiser! LOL

Thank you all for your advice.As I said in my post we will be going to see the surgeon in the morning and I will be sure to talk to him about this also and see if he can give me stuff to take to social services and see what they can do. I just hate asking for help. I know I need to get over this. I have told Greg he needed to check into disability. He has been working ever since high school. He has not been working much for the last couple of weeks.I will keep everyone posted on what we are told in the morning. Again thank you and God blees you all for your help.

Cindy E