Community Benefit Stories
Young Breast Cancer Patient gets Needed Care
At 33, breast cancer was the last thing on Laura Olla’s mind. So when the lump she found turned out to be cancerous, she was stunned. Because breast cancers in young women tend to be aggressive, the breast cancer specialists at Froedtert Hospital recommended a mastectomy as well as chemotherapy and radiation to reduce the chances of a recurrence.
Laura tolerated chemotherapy well and continued to work during treatment. She had just begun her course of chemotherapy when the next blow struck--she was laid off from her job. She couldn’t afford to continue her health insurance through COBRA, so she found herself without insurance coverage in the middle of treatment for a serious form of breast cancer.
Laura applied for charity care through Froedtert Hospital and qualified for 100 percent assistance. Through June 2009, the hospital has provided approximately $66,000 in free care to Laura. She has completed chemotherapy but still needs radiation therapy and hopes to have reconstructive surgery in the future.
“I’m so grateful to Froedtert for this program,” Laura said. “I don’t know what I would have done without it.”
Last Review Date: Oct. 23, 2009 Online Editor(s): Richard Petre |