Endometrial Cancer Patient Accesses Care with Free Gas Cards

February 20, 2024
Endometrial cancer patient after receiving treatment at OSU James Cancer Center, thanks to free gas cards from Mercy Medical Angels

Endometrial Cancer Diagnosis

Katherine is a mother of five children and happily married. At the age of 70, she maintained high energy to keep up with her family. Her life was good... until a routine check-up uncovered something problematic. The doctor referred Katherine for testing.


In an instant, Katherine's life changed: she was diagnosed with uterine cancer. As if that wasn't enough, it rapidly spread to the lining of her uterus. Now, she had to deal with endometrial cancer as well.


Radiation Therapy

Upon receiving a double diagnosis, many people would fall into despair. But not Katherine. She immersed herself in research, learning all she could about the treatment options. With advice from her doctor, she decided on radiation therapy.


First, she had to start with external radiation. With external radiation, a machine sends radiation beams through the skin to get rid of the cancer cells. But that wasn't the end. She also had to go through internal radiation, or brachytherapy. Brachytherapy involves placing radioactive "seeds" near or in the tumor, killing the cancer from the inside out. Now, Katherine had a plan to tackle the cancer, and she was determined to see it through.


From Roadblocks...

Unfortunately for Katherine, her plan encountered some roadblocks. Her finances were impacted by the high cost of medical care. Her treatments were at OSU James Cancer Center - a round trip of almost 200 miles. Paying for gas was almost impossible. 


However, if Katherine couldn't drive to access medical care, her health would deteriorate further and the cancer would get worse. How would she access the care she needed?



...To Running Free

When people are in bad situations, sometimes they pray for angels to intercede. Katherine's prayers were answered by a different team of angels - Mercy Medical Angels, that is! Mercy Medical Angels sent Katherine gas cards, so she could travel to her radiation treatments.


During treatment, Katherine's family is helping her, just as she has helped them. The radiation treatments take a toll on Katherine's energy. Her husband has been driving her back and forth. The gas cards from Mercy Medical Angels make the drives - and the treatment - much easier.



"You Are Extremely Helpful..."

So far, Katherine has gone through 25 radiation treatments. The cancer has been shrinking bit by bit, and it's almost gone. Katherine notes she has four more treatments, then a follow-up appointment. She acknowledges that she couldn't have done it without the support from Mercy Medical Angels.


"The gas cards helped me maintain financial stability," said Katherine. "Mercy Medical Angels made it possible for me to access the care I needed."


"You are extremely helpful. My family and I have to say one thing - thank you!"

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