Michigan softball player diagnosed with cancer
September 13th, 2022 at 11:21 PM ^
I'm just gonna go ahead and say post the link
September 13th, 2022 at 11:22 PM ^
Let's hope she overcomes this illness and lives a happy, healthy and successful life!
September 13th, 2022 at 11:32 PM ^
Sincerely hope it's a treatable cancer. Apparently, her brother ALSO was diagnosed with cancer (Burkitt's Lymphoma) last year.
Fuck cancer.
September 14th, 2022 at 9:31 AM ^
Yeesh, sounds like a snakebit family.
September 14th, 2022 at 12:10 PM ^
Or there's some sort of polluter in the area causing a cancer cluster (this was discovered in suburban Chicago a few years ago, for instance https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/jury-seated-trial-set-in-case-agai… ). Regardless, brutal for the family.
September 14th, 2022 at 4:57 PM ^
I had an uncle that lived in Southgate MI in the 70's and he and his whole family and several neighbors all got cancer and most of them died. Ended up finding out that their houses were built on top of an old dump.
September 14th, 2022 at 6:24 AM ^
From optics standpoint, It would be better if a U-M organization was listed as the organizer. As it is now, the organizer lists her address as Lil Abner Mobile Home Park, FL.
September 14th, 2022 at 8:35 AM ^
Mobile home park could garner more sympathy.
September 14th, 2022 at 8:58 AM ^
Because you can't trust the poors to fundraise for their friends with cancer?
September 14th, 2022 at 11:12 AM ^
Because this young scholarship athlete likely came from a tough financial background.
September 14th, 2022 at 12:52 PM ^
I would make some joke about your username and it's relevance to your comments, but after how A&M's jokes blew up in their face last weekend...
I'll leave that alone.
September 13th, 2022 at 11:41 PM ^
Fucking stupid we need gofundme’s for cancer treatments and / or healthcare.
/I’ll see myself out
September 14th, 2022 at 12:02 AM ^
As someone who has had to navigate the financial stresses of fighting with insurance companies and covering unpaid cancer treatment bills, I can say it is a cold and cruel experience to go through when you are trying to care for a loved one.
I would phrase it a bit differently, but I certainly understand the sentiment.
September 14th, 2022 at 3:52 AM ^
The stress of fighting insurance companies overlapping the stress of fighting the disease: it's a lot.
Good luck, Kaylee.
September 14th, 2022 at 8:10 AM ^
Extra infuriating because it means part of one's ability to survive these days is predicated upon how well positioned they are to have the GoFundMe go viral.
September 14th, 2022 at 8:36 AM ^
You could donate before you go
September 14th, 2022 at 9:56 AM ^
My wife was diagnosed with a nasty cancer in the summer of 2018 and between the surgery, chemo, and radiation, we had 9 months of hospital visits, as well as regular blood work checkups ever since. None of it was cheap, but thank god for Medicare. Medicare+a modest supplemental insurance took care of almost 100% of costs, with the vast majority of our out of pocket costs being deductible limits which had to be reached annually. Not everyone's experience vis-a-vis health care is a horror story. It seems like the hardest part is navigating employment benefits and how tight fisted the health benefits have become. Medicare has been a godsend to my wife and I.
P.S. As always, fuck cancer.
September 14th, 2022 at 1:38 PM ^
Would be super cool if every American had something like Medicare to cover medical expenses...
September 14th, 2022 at 2:48 PM ^
Not everyone's experience vis-a-vis health care is a horror story. It seems like the hardest part is navigating employment benefits and how tight fisted the health benefits have become. Medicare has been a godsend to my wife and I.
September 14th, 2022 at 12:05 AM ^
Godspeed Kaylee.....be strong and be your best.....
September 14th, 2022 at 12:26 AM ^
That's awful. Best wishes to her for a full recovery.
September 14th, 2022 at 7:03 AM ^
Pray for her speedy recovery! Suggest using GiveSendGo and not GoFundMe!
September 14th, 2022 at 7:36 AM ^
Cancer SUCKS.....prayers for her, her brother and her family as they traverse through this mess. Prayers for a complete healing.
September 14th, 2022 at 8:44 AM ^
In this NIL era, fully covered health insurance should be part of every athletes scholarship. Conferences signing billion dollar contracts on the backs of athletes that need gofundme to pay for their cancer treatment is reprehensible.
September 14th, 2022 at 9:11 AM ^
I agree with this sentiment. However, insurance alone doesn't fully cover all the costs of getting well--things like parents travel and lodging, for example. This is where the UM community can really make a difference, and where I am willing to provide support. I have some qualms about the GoFundMe approach, but admit there aren't many better options right now. I can't imagine the stress on this family and hope for the best.
September 14th, 2022 at 9:51 AM ^
Definitely agree and the athletic department should help here also if she is getting care at the school/away from home.
September 14th, 2022 at 8:45 AM ^
Honest question.
Why doesn’t the medical care fall on the shoulders of the athletic department?
September 14th, 2022 at 11:11 AM ^
With an upfront admission that I have zero knowledge of how student insurance currently works, based on past dealings with multiple schools, most colleges/universities mandate that a kid have health insurance while attending school. If the student does not have proof of insurance (typically by being covered through a parent), the student will automatically be signed up for and will have to pay for "the student insurance plan." This typically gets added to the tuition bill and is an extremely bare-bones policy that is really only useful if the student is in a car accident and stuck in the hospital for an extended period. I think (but again don't know for sure) it also helps cover the costs of running student health services which are mostly minor outpatient stuff (vaccines, sore throats, etc.). My suspicion is that the athletic department does not get involved with health insurance as they leave it to the university policy. There are probably provisions for athletic injuries (I am sure Ronnie Bell did not pay for his ACL repair last year), but would not cover cancer treatment costs as they are outside of athletic competition. Now, whether the athletic department should be responsible for a good comprehensive policy for its student athletes or not, that is an entirely different discussion and probably would involve a lot of title IX discussions with necessary costs to cover all athletes, not just the money generating sports.
September 14th, 2022 at 12:23 PM ^
Or, I know this sounds crazy but hear me out, maybe the world class University of Michigan teaching hospital could comp the care for a varsity athlete?
September 14th, 2022 at 10:18 AM ^
I have worked at Mississippi State University for the past 20 years. We had a softball player, Alex Wilcox, die from cancer in 2018. She was inspiration to many. The team has worn teal in her honor annually, both when she was fighting cancer and as a memorial tribute. During her battle with cancer, they adopted the slogan, "No one fights alone." There is an endowment and an individual player award in her honor.
If someone is connected to UM softball, they might want to forward this information. There is an established strategy for supporting a player and their family through this experience.
September 14th, 2022 at 10:41 AM ^
Godspeed to her!
September 14th, 2022 at 11:01 AM ^
Man, I am so sorry to hear this! Prayers said!
September 14th, 2022 at 3:55 PM ^
Can we please all show her what it means to be a WOLVERINE!!..im donating
September 14th, 2022 at 10:49 PM ^
My father, a longtime professor in the Classics Department at the U, spent the last two months of his life in a hospital. The total bill? Zero dollars. He was living in the UK at the time.