Today I’m writing this update not from the hospital, but from my kitchen. Which only means one thing. Insurance companies SUCK! Last week they submitted everything at the end of the day Wednesday after our appointment. They were wanting Cade to come in Sunday afternoon and be admitted in order to start his first round of the heavy chemo doses on Monday. Friday they did not get the approval so this plan was canceled. Plan B was to start Wednesday. This is only a couple days delay. Insurance technically has 4 business days to review and approve everything, so we figured that was Thursday, Friday, Monday, and Tuesday. So Wednesday admission and start of chemo Thursday should work out fine. Well Monday came and went. Nothing. After a couple phone calls and no update, I finally called and asked to speak directly to the doctor or NP. I spoke to Megan, his NP and she said that they had not heard anything yet and will be calling again Wednesday morning to see. We will bump the plan by one day and hopefully get approval through by the morning as this would be the end of 4 days granted to them. Then Megan called me late this morning with an update.
Insurance STILL did not approve it. The case manager she spoke to said that Thursday does not count as a day. I’m guessing they got some of the documents submitted Wednesday night and maybe some didn’t come through until Thursday morning, or the company didn’t get things uploaded until Thursday morning. But regardless. Are you KIDDING ME? Thursday doesn’t count, really? What kind of heartless (not the initial words that come to mind) people are running this show?! I could understand if things didn’t get submitted to them until middle or end of day Thursday, then sure, the day doesn’t count. But you’re seriously going to tell me that Thursday doesn’t count as a business day? Friday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday was what the case manager said. So when Megan clarified that they should hear an answer back by end of the day today, she was told that today was the 4th business day, so they most likely will not hear an answer until tomorrow morning. I am beyond aggravated with Blue Cross Blue Shield right now. Quite honestly I would expect this from other insurance companies, but I always put BCBS up on a better pedestal than the others. Until now. It just blows my mind that peoples lives are in the hands of people that sit in cubicles and could honestly care less about what they’re doing. This is a 3 year old with cancer. Are you joking me right now? You should have happily expedited the review and approval to begin with given this, but no, instead you’re delaying things even further by a technicality that is completely arguable to whether or not it is even a legitiment argument. Not to mention that this is standard of care. There shouldn’t be that much debate around it. Standard of care. It means stop delaying things and let him proceed with his treatment.
Megan tried to explain to me that this next phase falls under a different umbrella and case manager group on the insurance side of things given the bone marrow transplants needed as part of the treatments. Even though it’s his own bone marrow, it still falls under the same bracket as a general bone marrow transplant in the insurance world. So I guess it’s more “complicated” (insert dramatic eye roll!). I mean they approved and paid for the 3 days of harvesting, so you would think that this process of approval would be much simpler than it is. They know he had the harvest, they obviously know he did so because he would be getting the transplants coming up. But I mean that’s just my way of thinking. What do I know, I don’t work for the big fancy all empowering insurance company. With that said, the new plan, of course assuming the insurance will get their you know what together and push through the approval by morning, is that Cade be admitted Friday morning in order to start chemo first thing Saturday. Because of the insurances delay, he now has to have his hearing and kidney function tests repeated. He also at this point will need an IVIG infusion because his IgG level (which is key in fighting infection) is low which is normal on this course of treatment and he most likely will also need another blood transfusion. So Friday will be more of a ramp him up kind of day. Get all the tests and products in him and get him all plumped up and set to start his next battle with the new heavy dose chemo drugs.
There are two amazing fundraisers being held for us this Saturday. One is a Jurassic scavenger hunt in Lindenhurst that is going to be super cute. The other one is a big motorcycle ride arranged by a good friend of Mary who is one of the directors of our amazing daycare Nature’s Scholars. If Cade were to have been home, they would have put our house on the route of the ride and done a huge drive by in front of our house for Cade to be outside and see. Part of me wants to push the Friday start so that he can be home to see this Saturday morning. What’s one more day at this point. It would be so cool. I know he’d love it. But then I don’t know if that would leave enough time for them to get everything done in the later part of Saturday and if that were the case, then we would be looking at pushing the start of chemo 2 more days making it an entire week later then what they originally were hoping for. Such a bummer. But I know both events are going to be awesome, so if you’re in our area and looking for something to do this Saturday, definitely check one of these fundraisers out!! Thank you to everyone involved in making these both happen. Our hearts are so full and we are so blessed for all the love being shown to us. Truly.
Meanwhile, we are just trying to see the light of the situation and enjoy the few extra days that have been given to us at home in some normalcy. We have kept Ry home from daycare the last couple of days to allow him and Cade to have just a little more time together playing (and fighting) as brothers. They’ve enjoyed being home together a lot. We have had tons of nerf gun and sword battles. Time outside enjoying the sunshine any time we can when the stupid mosquitos aren’t so atrocious. Playing on their new swing set. Playing at our neighbors house behind us, jumping on their trampoline. Even getting to see inside their house which the boys loved. Of course Cade had to see inside the fridge, freezer, and cabinets to look at all the food and ask for 5 different thing to eat. Thank you for humoring him LeeAnne! Spending lots of time with grandmas, grandpa, aunts, uncles. Going to grocery stores. Running errands. Movie nights. Bike rides. Dairy Queen trips. Going to Rylans soccer games. Picnics. Feeding the chickens at Grandpas. We even brought Cade in for a surprise visit to say hi to all his teachers at daycare one morning last week when we dropped Ry off. Mary and Renee freaked out. It was so cute ❤️ Mary said she was on the phone and hung up the second she saw us walking up and ran out of her office. He loved being there. He requested to go again this morning. “Can I go say hi to Miss Mary and Miss Renee again today?” How can you say no to that?! He wanted to get down and run around so badly, but we of course don’t let him. It’s just quick visits. But I know they still warm his heart.
I will end with a story that will put a smile on your face. Monday my grandma and her priest, Father Christian, came over to our house so that he could bless Cade. She talks to Father Christian often about Cade and he has been part of the novena’s she’s been doing with a group of women from her church in honor of Cade since the beginning of his treatments. She shared with me a while back that one day after one of the novenas ended, Father Christian came to her and shared with her that God came to him after the novena and told him that Cade was going to be alright. So when she asked if he could come over and bless Cade, I said of course. He was an incredibly kind, sweet, and very tolerant young man. Henry was trying to lay on top of him and lick him while both boys were running like crazy people around the living room shooting nerf guns and jumping all around playing with other toys. I finally got them to sit still by bribing them with a special treat after the blessing and allowing them to sit on top of the living room table, which I’m always yelling at them to get off of. I wish we were videoing this. Cade was sitting still on the table. Finally. Calm and content. Father Christian knelt down by him, opened his bible, and lifted his hand to hover above Cade’s forehead as he began to speak his blessing. What does Cade do? He gives him a high five. Classic. It was hilarious. Father Christian chuckled, praised him with a nice job for his high five, and continued on with his blessing. It was a great morning and a beautiful moment all of us blessing Cade individually with holy water. And not just any holy water. Holy water straight from a holy spot in Ireland brought back by my dear friend Venessa for us. It was so amazing to be able to do this and do it with the special holy water given to us by her. Thank you Ness!
Prayers that we will finally get an answer from insurance tomorrow morning and for continued beautiful weather so we can enjoy another day of fresh air on our faces tomorrow 🙏🏼 ♥️
Our Warrior Journey 