Unexpected costs of cancer
Pink Wig Foundation tries to ease the burden of out- of- pocket expenses
Cory King may not have the celebrity power of Will Ferrell, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Aniston or Jon Hamm — some of the stars on last month’s massive Stand Up to Cancer telethon. But the young man from Saskatoon has a cancer story to tell.
He’d been living the typical life of a twenty- something prairie boy — working the oilfields, travelling abroad, meeting a wonderful woman and falling in love. But then that woman, Tracy Dinh, was diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer two years into their whirlwind romance. Now, two years after Tracy died at age 26, Cory is still recovering from the emotional and financial fallout that cancer leaves in its wake.
But through the Pink Wig Foundation that he and Tracy started together, Cory is determined to help ease those burdens for others.
We tend to assume that our universal health care system will take care of all our needs when we’re sick. But in practice, it doesn’t cover the out- ofpocket expenses or even a significant amount of the medical costs — not to mention the emotional hardships — involved in living and dying with cancer. A 2010 report by the Canadian Cancer Society ( CCS) found a “definite and growing pattern of financial hardship” with stories of lost jobs and homes, bankruptcy, broken marriages and lives turned upside down.
Cancer results in wage losses of over $ 3 billion a year across Canada according to the CCS report, while out- of- pocket expenses that aren’t covered by provincial health plans stack up. They include transportation and gas, accommodation and meals, child care and housekeeping, and even drugs and palliative care administered outside of hospital.
In a way, Tracy Dinh was fortunate. She had a solid financial footing and a close community of family and friends for support. She also made a spontaneous decision that would make her final weeks of life all about living, instead of all about dying.
“She knew her time was coming to a close,” Cory told us at a recent event through The Keg Spirit Foundation, which supports charities that focus on the development of children and youth. “She didn’t want to live the rest of her life in palliative care.”
Tracy’s friends and family had held a birthday fundraiser to explore alternative treatment options, but they soon learned that none would make a difference. So Cory and a few family members took Tracy on a dream vacation to Hawaii, and the result was magical.
Whether it was the ocean air or the absence of radiation therapy, Tracy went from being bedridden in Saskatoon to walking miles a day in sundrenched Maui. “That ended up being the greatest thing for Tracy in that last month,” Cory recalls. “She was herself again for three weeks. To see the sparkle in her eyes again was such a gift. And she died a week after we got back.”
Tracy’s last wish was for Cory and a few of her close friends to host more fundraisers and help other cancer patients and their caregivers with unexpected expenses. The Pink Wig Foundation — named after Tracy’s favourite colour — now gives $ 1,000 grants for wigs and $ 10,000 “sponsorships” hardships.
Through various events and two annual galas, the Pink Wig Foundation has so far raised over $ 70,000 to help patients and caregivers focus on the health and emotional challenges of those with cancer, instead of the financial ones.
The foundation’s first major recipients are now in remission and part of the Pink Wig family. Their very first recipient, Amy, texted back and forth with Cory about Tracy’s experience. “She said she always felt that Tracy was there helping her along,” said Cory. “She felt this connection even though they’d never met.”
Tears well up in Cory’s eyes as he talks — and then comes a smile. He’s back to work as a land surveyor in Saskatoon, slowly paying back his debts from the long time off. Cancer left a gaping hole in his young life, but fulfilling his promise to help others in Tracy’s position gives meaning to the rest of it.
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