The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith

Just Say Thank You

As Dan’s caregiver twelve years ago, I found dealing with insurance companies among the most difficult activities related to cancer that I had to do. I spent a great deal of time, sometimes more than an hour, on the phone waiting for agents to answer so I could ask my questions. I usually ended up on hold, as well, waiting for the supervisor to be asked the question. Some of my calls were eventually transferred to the supervisor after a few attempts to relay second-hand information revealed more questions that the agent was unable to answer. And everything required a referral from the primary provider, even if the orders came from a doctor for whom we already had a referral.

I learned to write everything down and to keep every scrap of paper connected to Dan’s medical care. There were times that an agent would tell me the opposite of what another agent had said. I was very glad to have the prior agent’s name written down so that I could say that on such-and-such a date so-and-so said this. This was the most effective strategy I had for working with the insurance companies.

Early on, God reminded me of my need to thank Him, even for these time-consuming sessions, with verses like Colossians 2:6-7, “As you therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him, established in the Faith as you have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.” I found myself using the wait times for prayer and praise.

This time around the insurance issues aren’t as complex, a reason to thank God indeed. But the Bible makes it clear that we are to be thankful, even when we can’t recognize a human rationale for thankfulness. Once you start with “Thank you God,” you begin to see motivation for thanksgiving on many levels. For us this includes Dan’s twelve years of cancer-free time, the positive prognosis Dan’s doctor has talked about in connection with immunotherapy, and Dan’s ease with his first infusion last Thursday.

The infusion lasted about an hour during which we talked to the mother of the patient next to us. I gave her one of my cards for The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith. Twenty-four hours later Dan felt a tingling sensation all over his body that lasted about twenty-four hours. We choose to think that it is the infused drugs doing what they’re supposed to do, connect with damaged cells and rehabilitate them. Each biweekly visit to Cancer Care Specialists will include blood work, a visit with either the doctor or a nurse practitioner, and then an hour-long infusion.

We do have a lot to be thankful for!

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Prayer Request: Dan continues to experience issues with sometimes profound tiredness. Please pray for daily strength as he continues to work.