The Cost of Cancer

Before her current battle with cancer, Aleta Phelps had already gone through immense suffering and responded with unthinkable heroism. In 2019, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and appeared to beat it, all while working 9-to-5 to pay for treatment. In 2021, tragically, she lost her son, which made it critical that she be able to care for her 4-year-old grandson, Yasin.

The same year, the cancer recurred, spreading to her bones and spine. She was given five years to live, with the knowledge that paralysis could come at any time. Simply walking has become difficult. And that’s particularly devastating because movement is at the center of Phelps’ life. “I want action in my life. I want activity in my life,” she says. “That’s a message I would like to get out to the world—‘Don’t be afraid to live your life.’ Just because you were diagnosed with something, it’s not the end of your world. You still deserve to have a good time. God is showing me grace, and I’m going to have as much fun as I possibly can before I leave this earth.”

You might hope Phelps could focus on that determination and on her time with Yasin in the face of her struggle. But her challenges are compounded by a need to continue working to support herself.

“I want to just be grandma, to love on him and spoil him, but instead I’m managing everything,” she says. Following her diagnosis, the fear of losing her job and its health benefits has added to her anxiety. The disability process, which she explored upon being diagnosed, she found slow and unreliable, heightening her fear of becoming unhoused.

Phelps was able to take off from work during her initial chemotherapy and radiation with help from the American Cancer Society, who supported her through navigation, assisting her with resources such as transportation, information, and access to other community resources. But Phelps’ financial future remains uncertain, and that aspect of her situation is all too common.

Extending paid family and medical leave, as currently proposed by two bills moving through the House and Senate in Pennsylvania, could be transformative. According to Donna Greco from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the high costs and time demands of cancer treatment often force patients and caregivers to miss work, leading to financial strain. As Greco points out, 50% of cancer patients and 48% of their caregivers have reported financial problems.

That’s why Greco and ACS CAN are supporting the Pennsylvania legislation. The proposed paid family and medical leave program would provide up to 20 weeks of paid leave annually for cancer patients and up to 12 weeks for caregivers. (To learn more, visit fightcancer.org.)

The Hurdles to Care

For many patients, it’s not a question of being able to take time off—simply paying for care requires significant effort, employed or not. Crystal Williams’ battle with stage 3C breast cancer highlights this. She had

recently moved from New Jersey to

Texas to build a small business with

her husband. A mom-to-be, she was initially covered by Medicaid offered to pregnant people. But she faced a harsh reality when she learned that form of Medicaid didn’t cover cancer treatment —and her family’s projected income was too high to qualify for general Medicaid. Despite this, treatment was beyond what they were able to afford, with costs for her double mastectomy alone between $159,000 and $187,000.

So Williams launched a GoFundMe campaign, using those funds to cover the cost of her four treatments in Texas. Close friends and family members then supported her move to New Jersey to access the broader state Medicaid coverage there for the rest of treatment. The journey has been long and arduous.    

“We’ve dealt with eviction as a result of cancer because it’s just too expensive and affects all areas of your life,” she says. Her stress reflects that of many cancer patients. Research shows that financial hardship significantly impacts cancer care, and as Williams searched for care, she had conversations with oncologists that didn’t help her create a care plan that would work for her financial requirements. That experience may not be uncommon. A new study by ACS and the National Cancer Institute shows that only 21% of patients with certain advanced cancers have documented conversations about expected costs of treatment. And according to Dr. Robin Yabroff, scientific vice president of health services research at ACS,  nearly 60% of working-age cancer survivors experience financial hardship.

Williams now faces uncertainty about her future. “We’re just trying to figure out what’s the best move for us now,” she says, regarding her doubts about her ability to return to Texas.

Phelps, too, grapples with profound fears about the future—hers and Yasin’s. “It weighs on me,” she says. “What’s going to happen to Yasin?” To learn more about resources that can help with financial needs, call ACS at 800-227-2345.