SAGINAW, MI — For Jessica M. Patman, 42, the fight against cancer didn’t end with treatment. It continued in the form of mounting debt — and a system that made recovery even harder.
Now, through her organization LIT (Live It Through), Patman is working to help others facing the same battle: Addressing the financial disparities people of color often encounter after a cancer diagnosis.
“We shouldn’t have to fight for our lives and try to decide whether to put gas in our car to go to work, or pay this medical bill or copay,” Patman said.
Patman knows the struggle firsthand. After her first breast cancer diagnosis in 2013, she was left with $30,000 in debt. When cancer returned in 2021, another $6,500 was added — a burden she’s only now paying off.
“After about a year and a half I was finally approved for Medicaid, and it was a hassle in itself to go back to every doctor I saw, every medical professional I saw, to let them know that they could charge Medicaid,” Patman said.
As she met more women with similar stories, she decided it was time to be part of the solution.
Two upcoming events will help raise awareness and funds for LIT’s mission:
“That’s why I’m doing Comedy Over Cancer — because when you are in it, there is nothing to laugh about,” Patman said. “But once you live it through, you should be able to bring laughter not only to yourself, but to others.”
For more information about either event, call 989-249-3455.
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