Locals and ACS rally to help cancer survivors

Medical expenses are one of the top reasons people go bankrupt, according to Deborah Hayes, quality of life manager with the American Cancer Society in Missoula. She said the average cost for a 30-day prescription in 2006 was $1,600 and current medications cost up to $10,000.

“When you’re fighting for your life, you can’t sit online and call people and all of that, so we do that for people,” Hayes said.

One of these families is Bigfork’s Anthony and LaSaundra Kuechmann.

Anthony was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer four years ago and the family fell behind on their property taxes and was facing the loss of their home. (See related story for Kuechmann’s experience.)

In just 10 days, the American Cancer Society got the Kuechmanns in touch with St. Patrick’s Hospital in Missoula and Team Up Montana, who helped catch them up with their debts so they could qualify for lowered tax rates.

“I just cried,” LaSaundra said. “We tried to juggle everything for so long.”

The Kuechmanns had essentially fallen through the cracks of the system.

Hayes said once diagnosed, it’s common to lose employment, which leads to loss of insurance; so many cancer patients end up on Medicaid.

“Even for people who think they have sufficient resources, it can be challenging,” Hayes said.

Hayes also contacted local businesses the Kuechmanns had debts with and asked them to write-off their debts and the businesses agreed.

Bigfork’s Debbie Ingram stepped up to the plate to help the Kuechmanns when she found out about their situation even though she had never met them before.

“The bummer is you can’t get help when you’re not caught up,” Ingram said.

Ingram has been a member of Relay for Life since the Bigfork chapter started nine years ago and has been a champion of local fundraisers for years.

Although their home has essentially been saved, the Kuechmanns’ financial struggles are ongoing. This is where Ingram’s fundraising skills come into play.

A fundraiser will be held at the Tall Pine Lounge on Sunday, March 24 from 1-5 p.m., the fourth anniversary of Anthony’s diagnosis, to help with the family’s medical expenses. The fundraiser will include a free potluck dinner, raffle prizes, door prizes, and a silent auction with activities for kids as well. Donations will be accepted.

“That was just by chance it was the day I was diagnosed. It was kind of ironic,” Anthony said.

The Kuechmanns were connected with Ingram through a mutual friend at the animal rescue program in Kalispell, Kristen Kehoe. Ingram found out about their situation and organized the upcoming fundraiser and got them in touch with the ACS.

“It has reaffirmed my dedication to the American Cancer Society, the way they stepped up and helped these guys,” Ingram said. “It brought home to me why I have been doing this for nine years.”

Ingram will be promoting the fundraiser at the ACS’ Relay for Life kick-off at the fairgrounds in Kalispell on Saturday, March 23 from 4-7 p.m. All funds raised at the event will go toward Relay for Life, which provides 40-50 percent of ACS’ funds, according to Hayes.

Hayes said the ACS does not budget for advertising their services so that they can focus on helping cancer patients; instead they rely on Relay for Life to get the word out about their program.

“If the community doesn’t know about the services, then the services don’t exist,” Hayes said. “That is the worst thing, when I run into someone who says, ‘I wish I had known this when I had cancer.’”

The ACS matches resources across the nation with what each patient and family need. This can include everything from lodging to driving patients to treatments to flying them to specialists.

“They are all free. We don’t care about income. If you say you need it, we get it,” Hayes said.

The ACS doesn’t actually have the funding to help with patient bills and rent. But, they do have the resources to connect patients with the organizations that do have the means to fill those gaps.

These connections can be for anything from legal advice with health insurance to just finding out what’s available to help with whatever burden cancer has created.

Cancer patients in need of assistance can find out what’s available by contacting the ACS at 1-800-227-2345 or by going to cancer.org.

For more information or to make a donation to the Kuechmann family fundraiser, call Ingram at 885-7714. Donations can also be made at Rocky Mountain Bank. To help the family with their immediate needs, contact Kristen at 2mncrts@montanasky.com.