Every year, medical insurance fails to cover all of a cancer patient’s costs. Add to that the loss of annual income (due to unemployment after the diagnosis) and life troubles suddenly seem insurmountable. Necessary items such as prosthesis bras and lymphedema sleeves may be difficult or even impossible to afford. Your gift helps to make these practical, everyday items available for those who really need them.
A cancer diagnosis not only wreaks havoc on the body, but it also disrupts family life, workplace patterns, and personal finances. Research shows that a good percentage of all cancer patients cannot continue working during their treatment, leaving them and their families in a precarious financial situation. A study published in the American Journal of Medicine in 2018 found that “42% of the estimated 9.5 million people diagnosed [with cancer] from 2000-2012 depleted all of their assets within 2 years of diagnoses.”
The cost of cancer is truly staggering, which is why it is so crucial that we help those in need. Your gift will fill in some of the gaps that insurance does not cover. Through your gift, practical needs like transportation, medicine, and everyday items that promote healing are made available to those who can’t afford them.
Would you help us provide for a local cancer patient?
Children with disabilities face obstacles that many of us cannot imagine. That’s why KCH is proud to offer pediatric therapy to Knox County residents. Pediatric therapy is dedicated to helping disabled children and their families improve a child’s ability to move safely and independently in their home, school, and community. Our therapy team consists of speech-language pathologists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists who are committed to providing comprehensive, multidisciplinary care in an environment where children can reach their potential and achieve their goals. Various methods and tools are used to help our patients. These include adaptive eating utensils, strengthening and stability toys, and sensorimotor activities.
Oftentimes, families with a disabled child are disproportionately impoverished. Because of financial constraints, these families cannot afford to purchase therapeutic devices/toys for daily home use. Practice and exercise are essential to improving a child’s motor skills. If a disabled child is limited to scheduled visits only, it will slow or even stunt developmental gains.
Would you be willing to help provide a local child with disabilities the tools he or she needs to grow stronger?
Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States and in the world. It is estimated that nearly 18 million people worldwide succumb to some form of heart disease each year. It’s no surprise then that the Cardiology Department at KCH is a busy place. When we saw increases in congestive heart failure, our staff began working on developing a clinic specific to those patients.
Would you like to learn how you can help provide a local heart patient with the tools to thrive?
The 2018 Health Needs Assessment stated that 11% of adults in Knox County had been diagnosed with diabetes. Sadly, according to national statistics, 1 in 4 people do not even know that they have the disease.
If you have diabetes, it's vitally important to keep a close eye on your blood sugar levels. Yet some patients are forced to skip testing or to reuse old test strips because they can't afford new ones. The result? Blood sugar levels spike too high or plunge too low which, over time, can irreparably damage the heart, the kidneys, the eyes, and the nerves.
Your gift of $50 would provide diabetic patients who need them with a glucometer and a month’s supply of test strips. Other patients who have a glucometer would receive a two month's supply of test strips.
Would you be willing to help provide a local diabetic patient with testing strips so that they may live healthier lives?