When we found out Amanda's results were positive, we wanted of course to find the best doctor, "oncologist" in the area. Which we did and our insurance that was giving us the run around said she was covered, along with the breast surgeon. The day we were going to meet her, the insurance company told us they made a mistake and we needed to look for another doctor.
We decided to go meet her anyways. She was very thorough in explaining the type of cancer Amanda had and how aggressive it is and explained that they needed to be aggressive with the treatment right away. Amanda would also need a Pet scan to make sure the cancer wasn't anywhere else. The reality had kicked in. I grew extremely more nervous in the room and finally blurted out, "Is Amanda going to get through this?" The doctor replied with a story of another patient that had. Not what I wanted to hear. Needless to say, we got her report so we could give it to the next oncologist the insurance was going to cover.
What ever you do- don't read the report the doctor writes up about your wife fighting breast cancer.
The words blew up all over the page POOR PROGNOSIS. When I got home, I went outside to pick up manure and my mind went to horrible places. Meanwhile, inside Amanda was trying to find a new Oncologist, taking care of business like she always does. When I came in I watched her jumping through hoops with the insurance company and seeing the worry on her face get worse. The next appointment she could get was for a doctor 90 miles away and was half a week away. I said "screw it, we don't have time for this. I have no idea how we are going to pay for chemo but set up an appointment with this amazing doctor we met."
A few days later, I was putting the first rides on some colts at a client's place.
With all Amanda had been through, she was out there helping me as we do sometimes. She will help drive the horses around from the ground while I am on their back. The funny thing was this day, right in the process of getting this colt to move forward, her phone rang. It was the president of a charity group called Careity who Amanda randomly new a lady who worked there. They are a charity group in the Fort Worth area specializing in breast cancer patients. The cool thing is that their big annual fundraiser is a celebrity cutting horse event. Amanda's breast surgeon, Dr. Amelia Gunter competes in the celebrity cutting.
While I am trying to stay on this young horse, Amanda was half way paying attention to me and talking to this lady. I tried to leave her alone and keep my seat at the same time. Needless to say, Careity payed for her first chemo session and an echocardiogram she needed done. We got our insurance stuff worked out and now everything is covered. Careity is a true gift to breast cancer patients and we will be forever grateful to them.
A famous cowboy told me once when I was getting on my first bucking horse at a rodeo,"Don't worry, the ground will always catch you."
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