Caring for Little Serenity Burns

When I feel like a washed out dishrag I try to think about Phil Burns' tiny two year old daughter, Serenity who's just 2 weeks into a very sudden and life-threatening diagnosis of Leukemia. Serenity can't analyze what's happening, or try to understand why everything hurts like I can when bad stuff happens to me.

Another way cancer is different for me is that my husband's insurance pays for much of my care. Phil's not in the same position, so one of the first things that friends did is to set up a chip-in account to help cover some of the mounting expenses.

Chemotherapy, antibiotics, hospitals, anti-nausea drugs and all the other things involved in taking care of a very sick little girl is expensive.

If you can help in any way, large or small, please do. Your kindness will be appreciated not just by Phil and his wife Adria but by all of us in the cancer community. The love you show one of us you show the others as well.

To simply put Serenity’s ChipIn Widget on your blog or website requires very little effort and will help publicize the cause. If you click on this link: you'll be able to get the code for a widget and also get help on putting it wherever you'd like. 

Comments

[Brian Walin]

Susan!!!

What a beautiful child she is. I'm at MD Anderson now, recovering from my most recent sugery and when I see the kids in pediactics or the waiting rooms, it just breaks my heart.

I can't imagine not having insurance. Just my copays are killing me! I try not to let money ever govern my health care, but sadly at times it can. It's always a battle at the business office when I go to pay bills, but I have found over $1,000 in incorrect billings over the last year (things coded wrong mostly)

It's hard enough being sick or being a care giver for a sick loved one, but having to scrutinize every bill at those times is criminal.

I have a cousin in Canada and they have a national health care system, but she tells me it's not all that easy even when it's free. We need a better system!

Hugs to you-hope you're well.

Brian
http://beyondtheglassdoor.blogspot.com/

[Phil801]

Susan,
Thanks so much for sharing information about our little Serenity! It's a mixed blessing that she is going through this when she is so young; while she won't remember most of it (a blessing), as you've pointed out she doesn't understand what is going on (not so much a blessing). It breaks my heart to see the look of betrayal in her eyes when I force her to do something she hates - like take her drugs or get poked with a needle. It's even harder that she trusts us enough to just look in our eyes while something is being done to her and accept that it is something we want done.

Modern medicine is truly a miracle in that it enables people like you and my daughter to fight the good fight and have hope in the battle against cancer. It is an unfortunate thing that it costs so much to engage that fight, what option is there? To say "oh, that costs too much, we'll just give her Motrin"? We have to just accept that once we've started this war with cancer that one of the battles along the way is the financial debilitation that comes with it. I am (was) an entrepreneur, we were living on the tail end of our savings and one of the risks we took was not having insurance. Well, that risk was a bad one. Not only did I not have insurance when this hit us, I didn't have an income. We've turned the income ship around, I took a job while we were in the middle of our hospital stay. We're still working on the insurance issue but the system is set up to keep us from getting it (pre-existing conditions) and we're not sure where it will go.

The financial donations through the chipin widget have made all the difference for us! While it won't really help to service the medical bills, it has so far completely covered all additional expenses with drugs, gas (we live about 50 miles from the hospital) and several things to provide her with comfort. We are so grateful and appreciative for the donations that have come in, they have truly made a world of difference for our baby and us.

I wish you the best in your battle with cancer and greatly appreciate you taking the time out from that to post this. You have been and are in our prayers as we have followed your story over the last few months. May God bless you and grant you wonderful health!

- Phil Burns, Serenity's Father