Zoe’s Story
Our journey with Seattle Children’s began in December 2007, when our 6-month old daughter Zoe was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. At each step of the way, from surgery and recovery, to diagnosis, cancer treatment, and follow-up care, everyone at Seattle Children’s has put Zoe’s health and well-being first and foremost. We have never felt that money was driving the decisions behind her treatment plan. The focus has always been, “what will give her the best shot at surviving this cancer long term, with the best quality of life possible?” Though the prognosis for her type of cancer is quite grim, everyone has forged ahead with hope and optimism, providing her with comprehensive, state-of-the-art treatment at every turn. Early on, her providers told us, "We will never give up on Zoe."
At the time of Zoe’s diagnosis, we had good insurance and pretty good income from two jobs. Zoe’s treatment was very intense, and I was unable to work for 9 months. Though our income was cut in half, our regular expenses stayed the same - and we accrued new expenses. Our income was too high for most public assistance programs, and we worried about paying our portion of the co-insurance, since Zoe was receiving very costly services, including brain surgery, chemotherapy, stem cell harvest, and frequent inpatient hospitalizations of 7-10 days or more.
We were surprised – and greatly relieved – to find out we qualified for financial assistance from Seattle Children’s generous Uncompensated Care Fund. The hospital simply took care of whatever insurance didn’t cover. We never got a bill from them.
We know that a staggering portion of bankruptcy and home foreclosure problems stem from medical debt. We could have easily been the next middle class family plunged into poverty by medical expenses, but we weren’t. Instead, we paid our mortgage and kept our older child in daycare so he would have stability throughout the chaos of treatment. The uncompensated care fund made this possible for us. Though cancer wreaked havoc on our lives emotionally, it did not wreck us financially.
Today, Zoe still receives care from Seattle Children’s – quarterly MRI’s to monitor for tumor recurrence, and ongoing treatment for seizures, hearing loss and eating aversion. Everyone is still looking out for Zoe’s best interests, and making sure she gets the best quality care. It is our great honor to be back on our feet and in a position to help raise funds for the uncompensated care fund.
~ Mette, Zoe’s Mother
