- Kickin' Cancer of South Georgia provides financial assistance for essential needs like rent, utilities, and groceries for women undergoing treatment.
- Many insurance plans fail to cover vital items, such as mastectomy supplies and prosthetics, leaving patients with significant out-of-pocket expenses.
- Watch the video to see the financial struggles of women facing cancer and how Kickin' Cancer provides essential support.
BROADCAST SCRIPT
Breast cancer isn't just a health battle—it's a financial one too.
Kickin' Cancer of South Georgia is helping women by covering essentials like utilities, groceries, and medical supplies.
I'm finding out how they're filling the gaps where insurance falls short.
For many women battling breast cancer, the financial burden can feel overwhelming.
Gerriann Kennedy, president of Kickin' Cancer, says they have been helping women for over 15 years, providing critical support beyond what insurance covers.
"Your insurance isn't going to cover your utility bill when you can't work or your rent payment, or groceries and gas and things that are essentials for you to survive. So for those situations, that's where Kickin' Cancer provides funds to help provide those things," said Kennedy.
Kayla Edenfield, is a 34-year-old breast cancer patient from Thomasville.
She initially thought her symptoms were just regular cysts and didn't consider cancer, but eventually found out it had progressed much further than she realized.
"Really, I just went and got it checked out just so they could quit calling me and asking if I had gotten it checked out, and by the time I went, it had already spread," said Edenfield.
Edenfield tells me she was without insurance for a month but eventually got coverage. But for any uninsured patient, it can be a life-altering financial burden.
"The bill I got was over 200,000 dollars; each round of chemo is 42,000 dollars," said Edenfield.
She says she received a month of chemo donated by drug companies because she couldn't pay without insurance.
But after getting coverage, she found that her insurance didn't include her mastectomy supplies and prosthetics. That's when Kickin' Cancer stepped in, using fundraiser money to provide those essentials for free.
"Your job can survive without you; you have to put your needs first," said Edenfield.
Archbold's Women's Center is now offering extended mammogram appointments with evening hours, making it easier for working women to get tested.
