Michigan softball player diagnosed with cancer

Yeesh, sounds like a snakebit family.

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.

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.

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.

You could donate before you go

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.

Cancer SUCKS.....prayers for her, her brother and her family as they traverse through this mess.  Prayers for a complete healing.

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.

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.

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?