Abstract

Care giving without Palliative Care

Author(s): Shelly Reinhart

November 27, 2007, my big brother Jeff was diagnosed with inoperable stage IV colorectal cancer a few months after his 30th birthday. The oncologist told him that there was “No hope, no cure. Any questions?” Jeff smiled and said, “Yeah. How do I beat this?” This started our cancer journey. Through the next five years, my parents and I worked two jobs, the job that paid us and the job of taking care of my brother and managing his care. Jeff was supposed to work the day he went into the emergency room the day he was diagnosed. My mom called his employer and told them where he was and that he would not be at work that day. They told her, “We hope he feels better soon. Let us know if he needs anything. God Bless!” That night, we got Jeff’s diagnosis and the next morning my mom called his employer. Again, they told us, “We hope he feels better soon. Let us know if he needs anything. God Bless!” Jeff was in the hospital for two days. He received a letter from his employer in the mail. Jeff’s employment had been moved from full time to on-call. His health insurance would only be good through December. Then he would have to pay for COBRA insurance.