Paraplegic husband with Hepatocellular Carcinoma

janine_ponciano

My husband is parplegic and has Hepatocellular Carcinoma. I am his caregiver and he is here at home. I need some advice on how to go about and where to begin sreaching or calling for information about men in simialar situations paralized and with the samecancer. Also I need to know if there are any avenue I can explore for financial help since I make money by caring for my husband and obviously he recieves social security disability. We have no childeren and I will be imediatly cut off any source of income I have ever had since I met him we have no accounts and never planned any ting for this situation. He is determined he will be better soon and I know differently and he has no idea how dificult this realy is to pretend with him he is fin and then get the mail and deal with our little income and figure bills and have nothing left over to put away for any kind of security fo rmy futer. Please any advice or sugestions ould be greatly appreciated. thanks.

belle20904

Dear janine,

I'm sorry to hear about your husband's illness and what you are going through. I took care of my Mom (she had Hepatacellur Carcinoma too) and I know that it can be a full time job with very little time for rest.

Regarding getting some assistance about your finances, have you tried talking or emailing your husband's doctor (or maybe your doctor) and asking for assistance? My Mother's doctor referred me to a social worker who was able to help me research programs that were helpful to my Mother. Perhaps with the help of a social worker you could get a referral to some of the support services that would help you. I think that many social workers are aware of free or reduced-cost financial counseling services that could help you come up with the best financial plan for your situation. A social worker also might also be able to put you in contact with local support groups for people who are going through similar experiences.

If your doctor isn't helpful in referring you to services, perhaps you could try your County Department of Social Services or your County Department of Aging. If you call and explain your situation it's possible that someone in those agencies might know where you can find the assistance that you need. The Department of Aging near my Mom's house supplied me with a list of social service organizations that I could call for help as my Mom's condition worsened. The phone numbers for County Government Departments can be found in your phone book and sometimes County Governments have Internet web sites that describe their phone numbers and services provided.

I hope that you find some support services that can help you -- in any case, I wish you the best. If you would like to email me my email address is belle20904@yahoo.com.

Belle20904