As a mom of four, Anne was used to taking care of the little sickness that children develop. So, when her three-year-old son George complained of leg pain, she assumed some children’s acetaminophen would do the trick. Little did she know, he was actually facing a cancer diagnosis that would require much more than she imagined.
Anne has been a member of Medi-Share since 2017. She had two of her babies as a member and was pleased with the sharing model. “We were happy with Medi-Share. But we never expected to go through cancer treatment. I had no idea what was going to happen.”
In the spring of 2024, George told his mom his leg was hurting, and Anne assumed it was viral arthritis, a temporary joint inflammation that she’d already seen her older daughter experience. At that time, the protocol was rest and children’s pain medication to ease the discomfort.
But when George seemed to be getting worse, she took him in for a doctor’s exam. After labs and imaging came back clear, the doctor agreed that it was probably viral arthritis. But if George got any worse, he told Anne to take him to the emergency room. There was a risk that an infection could turn toxic if untreated.
The next day, George spiked a fever and was more lethargic than ever. So, Anne took him to the hospital, where they did a sonogram and more lab work. Medical professionals decided to admit George, in case emergency surgery was necessary.
But when the labs came back, it wasn’t what anyone expected. A doctor gave Anne and her husband the news that George had cancer—either leukemia or lymphoma. Later, they’d pinpoint his diagnosis as Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
“We were blindsided,” Anne says. “Devastated doesn’t even come close to defining what I felt.” Suddenly, they were thrust into a blurring reality of cancer treatment protocol, knowing George was very sick.
Anne recalls a fleeting thought in the beginning: “I’m on a health sharing plan. I have no idea what’s going to happen. We might be bankrupt after this, but it is what it is.” She had to focus on next steps forward for George, and finances would have to wait.
But in the midst of the initial chaos, the Lord was at work. “I saw God every step of the way,” Anne says. Through the people she met and the circumstances that allowed her to have support, she knows without a doubt: “I had resources provided by God.”
One of those resources came in the form of Michelle, a Medi-Share nurse that was assigned to George’s case. Michelle had a background as a pediatric oncology nurse prior to coming to Medi-Share, and Anne says her support, wisdom, and advocacy were vital during George’s treatment.
“She was able to provide the resources and the comfort and the path forward. And she did it with the love of Christ. She was a godsend,” Anne says.
With Michelle’s help, George had every medication and treatment approved almost instantly. Anne says she never had to waste time on hold; she could call Michelle directly and know that things would be taken care of. “I needed to be there for my son,” Anne says, “and Michelle had our back.”
Leukemia treatment takes two-and-a-half years total, though George was considered to be in remission after 30 days. Anne says it’s analogous to opening a pool for the season; you shock the system initially to make the pool blue, and then you keep shocking it all summer to keep it blue. Sometime during George’s treatment process, the hospital refused to send bills to Medi-Share any longer. But Michelle helped Anne learn how to submit bills herself so that there would be no disruption in George’s care.
Today George is in first grade and plays baseball nonstop. His years of treatment have come to an end. We join Anne and her whole family in praising God—their “little firecracker” is healthy and happy!
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