At the age of 70, my mom found a lump and proactively went to the doctor and luckily, caught her breast cancer at a very early stage. Unfortunately, the doctors did two lumpectomies and couldn’t get “clean margins” and so we were given several options. It’s hard on someone at 70 going through multiple treatments that require anesthesia, so she chose a mastectomy over more attempts at a lumpectomy. The lumpectomy, even if successful, would have required radiation at the least. Not a savory option at her age.
We assumed that the surgery itself would be the most traumatic part of this. We were wrong. My mom had great difficulty waking up after anesthesia, and was very tired and sore after the surgery. It was 8PM, and they would not let her stay in the hospital overnight.
“Pardon me?” You are probably saying to yourself right now. Until you experience this yourself or with a family member, it is completely unbelievable. It left me literally dumbfounded and speechless. So I had to take my very upset, exhausted post-surgery mother home, and practically carry her up the stairs to get her into bed, drains and all. By anyone’s standards except those of the insurance company, brutally unneccessary.
My understanding now is that this is common practice. It is completely inhumane. The “why” is predictably always money when it concerns insurance companies. The “what the…” is why laws haven’t been passed before now to stop this cruel practice which is in obvious contradiction to the “do no harm” credo to which the medical community is supposed to be in harmony.
Please sign the petition below to let your representatives know your feelings on this matter. THANK YOU, from all the women in your life.


Time is a funny thing. When you’re a kid, it seems a bottomless supply of hours and days, moving so slowly you wonder if you’ll ever grow up. In your early adult life, you can’t wait for time to pass quickly so you can get to the next landmark date–the day you can get your driver’s license, your graduation day, turning 21…it all seems to pass at a turtle’s pace and you wonder if you’ll ever get to where you want to be.