Improvisational Theater

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Empathic Attention

"Creating strong storytelling scenes requires a great deal empathic attention. Every raised eyebrow is a brush stroke. Every clenched fist, and softening mouth. Seeing each brush stroke is not essential for seeing the picture, but it certainly gives it depth, it gives it poetry, it gives it story. Feeling each brush stroke further deepens meaning. My eyes and ears are tuned into the same channel. I am listening with my whole body."

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

A Surprising Sunken Grade on an Already Bumpy Road in a Poorly Running Vehicle

Today my family and I were shaken by surprising news for my insurance company. On the eve of the double mastectomy we have planned and prepared for over the past five months, the insurance denied coverage.  They agreed to cover a simple mastectomy of the right breast, wherein grows aggressive ductal carcinoma and cancerous lymph nodes but refused to cover the removal of the left breast, despite evidence of precancerous cells, abnormal tissue growth and the risks associated with being premenopausal.  It is a verified fact that leaving the left breast increases my odds of reoccurrence by 40%.  As a young mother of 4 children, two of which are under the age of ten, a 40% risk is too high. My medical team agrees.  They have spent many hours today in argument with the insurance company to no avail. I was given three options:
Option #1. Accept the denial of coverage and have only the right breast removed tomorrow, leaving the left breast in all its precancerous glory to very possibly develop cancerous tumors within the next few years. I would thusly have to go through chemo, surgery and radiation again at that time.
Option #2. Cancel tomorrows surgery and wait possibly several months while appeals are filed, processed, and considered. Leaving both breasts, one with active aggressive ductal carcinoma, on my body during the waiting period with no guarantee that the appeals will be successful. This waiting time may require that I re-start chemotherapy, which may later be argued as an unnecessary personal choice, therefore not covered by insurance.
Option #3: Raise $5,000 now, to pay for surgery to continue as planned. Raise more to cover another surgery scheduled for September.
After careful consideration and with the expressed encouragement of my medical team, we chose Option #3.
We have spent the day reaching out to friends, family and the world at large for support both spiritual and financial.
Anything you can spare to help us through this ordeal, be it energy and well wishes, money, or both, is desperately needed and gratefully appreciated.
Any money donated that is not used directly for medical care will be dedicated to household and family care expenses. These expenses include food, mortgage payments, utility bills & childcare. As you can imagine, we are stretched incredibly thin to cover these necessary costs during this trying period.
Thank you for your support and encouragement. We intend to pay forward your generosity once we are out of the cancer woods and can return energy to our community.
Please find a PayPal button in the top left hand corner of my blog page to make a donation.
Again, we thank you so much.