Hi Laurel,

Thanks for reaching out and I'm sorry to hear about the shortage of BCG for your treatment. I have sent your question off to our coaches who will be in touch soon. In the meantime, I would recommend thinking about flexible work options that could be easier to manage when you have to get time off for treatment, such as telecommuting and part-time jobs. FlexJobs is a good resource to look for flexible work options, if you enter the code CANCER at the checkout you will receive 50% off a subscription to their job search services. Their website is: http://www.flexjobs.com/

I hope that this is helpful.

Best,

Sarah, Associate Manager of Programs, Cancer and Careers

Laurel

 You are certainly facing a tough situation. Here are a few
questions and some  options that you may
not yet have considered. 

 Do you feel you are physically capable of working?  What type of work are you seeking?   Sarah
is right. Temporary and/or Part time work could prove to be an option.  If you opt to go that way, indicate that you
have not been working because of family health issues but can now work part
time or temporary assignments.  Don’t
make a big declaration of having cancer.

 Depending on your skill set, you may be able to do some work
from home.  Please be careful of Scams
that promote unreasonable income for at-home work. 

 As for financial assistance to help you further, if you are
capable of working, you may be able to file for Unemployment Compensation.  That would provide you with some earnings.
Although, it varies from state to state , you may be able to collect up to 26
weeks.

 Speak to the Social Work at your cancer center and ask about
options for Financial Assistance. They should have a list for your area and
they can help you through the process. 
Most cities have a number of cancer related organizes to support
patients and their needs.  You need to
tap into this further.

Depending on your prognosis, if you are unable to
work, you may be able to file for Social Security Disability regardless of your
age.  This would require your securing
information from your doctor. Be very thorough when completing forms for
government aid; if you don’t provide them with all the information they
request, your application will land in their Pending box.  You need to get in the Fast Track file.

 Here are just a few  organizations that I have come across:

Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition,
(CFAC), http://www.cancerfac.org/, is a coalition of financial assistance
organizations joining forces to help cancer patients

 United Way,
http://liveunited.org/our-work/health/,
provides assistance around the nation and advocates on health issues. The best
way to find aid is to contact your local United Way campaign office. Check
their database for information: http://apps.liveunited.org/myuw/.

 CancerCare is a
national nonprofit agency that offers free support, information, financial
assistance, and practical help to people with cancer and their loved ones.
Financial assistance is given in the form of limited grants for certain
treatment expenses. Information about financial assistance for all cancers is
available at http://www.cancercare.org/get_help/assistance/cc_financial.php

If you have health insurance and co-pays, there are other
non-profit organizations that will help you with co-pays.  If you are not proficient at internet search,
ask a friend to help you do some of this research. 

 Feel free to reach back to us if you would like to give us
more information about your work skills and the sources you have already
approached.  Be sure to check the Resources
on our website.

 I hope that some of this will be helpful to you.

 Margot

Hi Margot

I had been unemployed and collecting unemployment prior to being diagnosed with Bladder Cancer. Those benefits ran out. I applied to the county for assistance and was granted food stamps, $140 general assistance and Medicaid which I believe runs out in January.

I am presently diagnosed with Stage 1 high grade Bladder Cancer and depression. I see a urologist for the cancer. He has performed the two surgeries I have been through so far to remove the tumor and regrowth. No one has informed me of any social workers, etc. on my next visit I will inquire.

I have been an Administrative Assistant for the past 20 years.

I have been told my numerous individuals on the Bladder support sites that my chances of getting Social Security Disability is nil. After reading your message it kept running through my mind last night to consider contacting a lawyer who handles disability cases to see what he thought.

I have looked into a number of organizations for assistance. Most only assist with co-pays, since I have none with Medicaid I can get no assistance. I really need assistance with household bills electric, gas, etc. I will look into the ones you have suggested.

I hope this clarifies my situation for you. Thank you for your suggestions.

Sincerely,

Laurel

Hi Laurel,

In terms of getting some legal advice, I would recommend checking out the National Cancer Legal Services Network (http://www.nclsn.org/). The NCLSN promotes free legal service programs to people affected by cancer. You can find cancer legal service programs in your area by searching their directory here: http://www.nclsn.org/members-directory/

I hope this helps, please let us know if you have any other questions.

Best,

Sarah, Associate Manager of Programs, Cancer and Careers

Laurel,

Have you consulted with an Oncologist who specializes in Bladder Cancer?  If not, you may want to consider getting a second opinion from an Oncologist.  

You may not have access to a Social Worker if you are seeing a Urologist in his office.  If you affiliate with a cancer center, you should have additional resources. Your town or county might have a Social Work division that you could contact to learn about additional resources.  Also try any social agencies in your area.  I suggested United Way but there may be others.

Have you had any success finding part time or temporary work through a staffing firm? What do you think is standing in your way?  If you have a computer, consider offering your services to small companies and entrepreneurs who need occasional work.  You could potentially build clients where you could do work at home as needed. You might find such clients through your local chamber of commerce or by posting a listing online such as Craigslist or other posting boards.

I agree that if your cancer is Stage 1, you probably would not qualify for SS disability. 

Keep in touch and let us know how you are doing reaching out to the resources we have suggested.

Margot