Making a difference in IN

Roseanne Nabhan is a three year cancer survivor. A “thriver” as one of her friends puts it. 

In was April 2007 at age 47 she discovered a lump in her breast. Though Roseanne was a nonsmoker, for 25 years she worked in an atmosphere that was filled with second hand smoke. She was diagnosed with a rare cancer – carcinosarcoma.

After her diagnosis, Roseanne discovered her health insurance was highly inadequate.

“The words 'Fighting Cancer' kept coming into play. Strange, fighting
cancer...does that mean I should hate my body?,” she said. “I couldn’t find a way to use this phrase in my life...until I started applying it to the bills. Then all of a sudden this 'fight' started to make sense. My insurance was inadequate, yet my doctors felt that without treatments I would not survive. I had to make a choice. Friends, family, coworkers and everyone I knew were telling me do the treatments, don't worry about the bills. Easy to say, but here I am, the financial person in our household, being told 'don't
worry about the bills.’”

“Before I knew it we had accrued over $60,000 in medical debt. Two hospitals, more procedures and tests than I can count...and working all the while,” she said. “I would go to radiation treatment, leave the building, drink my essiac tea, and head to work. I would work my shift successfully for six to seven hours, then head home and do the same the next day. I never missed a beat, didn't have that option.”

In September 2007, Roseanne was declared cancer free. She is still paying off her the medical debt that resulted from her cancer treatments. In May 2009, ACS CAN asked Roseanne to travel to Washington, DC to share her story with lawmakers. Roseanne is an active advocate for both health care reform and smokefree air. Additionally, she is the Action Chair for the IN 1 ACT! Committee.