Retired Teacher Drives to Lymphoma Treatment
Battling Lymphoma
"It took me five full years to get a diagnosis after a large lymph node appeared on my neck. My doctors missed the correct diagnosis that whole time.”
This is how Lynne's story began in 2006. After much confusion and frustration, she finally received a correct diagnosis in 2011. “I have an aggressive form of lymphoma,” said Lynne. The lymphoma was in remission for nine years, but in 2020, it came back. And that wasn’t the end of Lynne’s troubles. When the doctors were doing a biopsy, she suffered a stroke on the right side of her brain.
Challenges Attack...
Lynne has to travel from her home in Austin, Texas to MD Anderson in Houston, Texas for her cancer treatments. “It’s about a 3 hour drive,” said Lynne. “I’ve been traveling each month – multiple times each month.”
She used to take a bus or a commercial flight to treatment, but the COVID-19 pandemic made traveling with others unsafe. Even in times when cases were down, the cost of long-distance travel put a strain on Lynne’s budget. “I’m a retired teacher,” said Lynne, “and the monthly costs of lodging and travel is prohibitive on my limited income.”
With travel and medical bills mounting, Lynne came to a grim realization. If she couldn’t pay for travel, she couldn’t receive life-saving treatment at MD Anderson. How would she make it?
...Mercy Medical Angels Defends
At a critical point, Lynne found out about Mercy Medical Angels’ ground transportation program. The nonprofit sent her gas cards so that she could pay for the cost of travel.
“I haven't taken any flights," said Lynne. “But I have received encouragement and assistance in the form of gas cards to help with travel - to local doctors and especially to my treatment at MD Anderson!”
"Thank You for Caring and Help!"
Lynne gives Mercy Medical Angels’ ground transportation a considerable amount of credit for their role in her journey. The gas cards are saving her life, and the team has helped her in more ways than just covering travel costs.
“I am fortunate enough to be receiving treatment at MD Anderson,” said Lynne, “and I couldn’t get there if it weren’t for Mercy Medical Angels. I think that one of the nicest experiences I've had was working with the team to plan my strategies for travel, and to discuss services that I qualify for.”
“Thank you for caring and help!”
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