Cancer survivor provides free health care for uninsured (CNN)

BUNNELL, Florida (CNN) -- Faith Coleman had no health insurance when she learned she had cancer, but she describes her battle with the illness as "one of the absolute greatest blessings" of her life.

"Having kidney cancer was one of the best things that ever happened to me ... because I can truly empathize with patients," said Coleman, 54.

That compassion inspired Coleman to open a free clinic in her Florida community to help other uninsured people in need of medical care.

In July 2003, Coleman, a nurse practitioner, learned she had a malignant tumor growing on her right kidney. But as a contract worker for several doctors, she did not receive health insurance. Coleman's treatment totaled about $35,000, and she was forced to take out a mortgage on her house to help pay for it.

"I through the crack ... and I a great job and a good education," said Coleman, a mother of six.
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more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/20/cnnheroes.faith.coleman/index.html

can't afford to buy a health insurance policy?

or what outlandish premiums she might have been offered in the past.

I know when I left Ford COBRA was going to cost me $1200 a month. That is more than my house payment. So I did without.

in 04 and now I have cancer. I draw 1900 a month social security and my husband draws 700. We pay almost 1200 in premiums alone, not counting what medicare doesn't pay and blue cross copays.

Medical insurance at times needs to be the number one priority.

Maybe she should tell her kids to skip eating or stop paying for daycare.

as he's been laid off for eight months. Why am I superior? Because I spend 1/2 to 2/3 of my income for health insurance and copays?

Hardly.

that SS only comes ONCE a month!! So, that hardly leaves anything for necessities like FOOD, MEDICATION, UTILITIES (which is highway robbery, right about now), and don't have a car payment, car insurance, rent or mortgage! Never fear, they're day will come to find out how EASY it is living off of one check a month. :eyes:

on here I realize that very few of them know much about how insurance really works, the reality of things, and what is going to happen to you once you have a serious, possibly terminal, illness. If we do not have single payer, people are going to die, period, because they won't buy health insurance on their own or can't afford to.

me if I didn't keep that secondary insurance. Just yesterday I got a new prescription, megace, given to cancer patients who can't eat, it was over 600 dollars had I paid for it myself. I paid a fifty dollar copay.

Just wait until insurance becomes mandatory, a lot of people are going to pay that didn't think they could.

which means she would have to buy her own insurance. i couldn't afford insurance when i was an independent contractor either. she's a homeowner and she is the mother of 6 kids. i can totally understand why she didn't have insurance.

"street sweepers" that make more money than physican assistants!!

you have no right to comment on HER situation. So YOU manage to squeeze out your premiums every month--well, guess what, SHE was not able to--for whatever reason that is none of your business.

Instead of praising the woman for going to the extreme length of opening a free clinic, you diss her for some failing on her part that prevented her from affording health insurance.

I am 63 and also self-employed, as a copy editor. I make "good money" but I cannot afford health insurance. All I can do is hope I don't develop any health problems before becoming eligible for Medicare in 2.5 years. I just wish I lived in Bunnell, FL, so I could get some health care at this woman's clinic.

and admirable. But sometimes health insurance HAS to be a number one priority.