So far the cost of treating MDS is close to $30,000 since June 1.

Yesterday, we received a call from the hospital that will be doing the Stem Cell Transplant, a procedure and follow up treatment that could run into the hundreds of thousand dollars.

If we didn’t have insurance, there would be no treatment available to us until Ralph qualifies for Medicare (October). Before October, he will have four cycles of chemotherapy at a cost of $40,000. That does not include the co-pays for every chemo visit ($175 per cycle), weekly labs, and any complications that may arise due to the course of his disease and side effects from the chemo.

Ralph has told me that he will not leave a load of debt in order to treat his cancer. If we didn’t have insurance, his outlook would be dismal. Most people at his stage of cancer die within two years from infection, bleeding, or acute leukemia. When the bone marrow fails, it fails to produce enough blood cells to supply the body. The bone marrow could rightly be called the source of life. In order to extend his life, our insurance will be spending a lot of money. Our part is the out of pocket limit (of $2,250 and copays, and extra expenses we are not aware of.

Sorry to be so dismal in my outlook, but it is important to think of practical things. We need to know what to expect. We will be traveling 137 miles one way to the treatment center our insurance will pay for in three weeks. There will probably be multiple trips if he is able to get the stem cell transplant. We don’t know if he will be eligible yet.

How will we get our daughter to work? Maybe she should move as we move forward with this?