C A N C E R S U R V I V O R
Lana Perkins
When the Going Got Tough
By MELISSA MOORMAN
When She Found Out She
had Cancer, Careity Stepped
in and Saved Her Life
Lana Perkins just thought that the
symptoms she was having were
related to getting older and going
through menopause. At age 57, that’s
not an unreal supposition, especially
given her medical history which
included polycystic ovary syndrome
(PCOS). But in December of last year,
Perkins started having excessively
heavy periods lasting many more
days than the usual. This lasted
through May of the next year.
Because her mother had just been
diagnosed with skin cancer, Perkins
and her sister had recently discussed
cancer policies and she decided to
purchase one for herself.
Perkins is single and is the
manager of a small restaurant. She
doesn’t have health insurance. Nine
days after she purchased a small
cancer policy for her own piece
of mind, she received the news
that she too had cancer. Her type
of cancer is called endometrioid
carcinoma of endometrium and
is the most common subtype of
endometrial cancer, which begins
in the lining of the uterus (the
endometrium).
“I thought my symptoms were
menopause. I was totally shocked
about it,” Perkins said. Her doctor
recommended immediate surgery,
but both her doctor and the hospital
demanded upfront payments of what
would amount to $25,000 - $27,000
before they would admit her to the
hospital to perform the surgery that
would save her life. And because her
cancer policy was so new, it wasn’t
going to immediately kick in and
cover the costs. “I went to the doctor,
she did a biopsy, and the insurance
company wouldn’t pay for anything
because the policy was so new,”
she said.
Perkins spoke with her doctor
about the financial hardship that such
a large upfront payment would mean
to her.
A good friend of hers mentioned
contacting Careity Foundation to see
if they could help. And they did, in
a big way. Careity handled Perkins’s
hospital bill in its entirety.
“I can’t say enough good things
for them. I don’t know what would
have happened if they hadn’t helped
with the hospital bill. I was shocked
when they said that’s what they were
going to do. They are doing great
things. At some point I hope I can
do something for them and pay it
forward for someone else,” said
Perkins. “I just truly believe that
Careity saved my life,” she added.
For other people who get a cancer
diagnosis, Perkins suggests to them,
“I would say to have faith. Believe,
and prayer is important. I truly
believe Careity and everyone who
has been there for me were blessings
from God. I totally believe in the
power of God and that He has a plan
for all of us,” she said.
Perkins is happy with her outcome
and is looking forward to spending
time with her family, which includes
her parents, her two grown daughters
and five grandchildren. She doesn’t
know for sure that she’s cancer-free
yet, but said, “We believe that with
surgery and radiation, we got all of
mine.” n 817-882-4100
46 www.careity.org