From panic to peace: Kathy’s story
When pancreatic cancer disrupted Kathy’s life, she was caring for her elderly mother, her partner with severe health issues, and three grandchildren. But what happens when the caregiver needs care? Thanks to a Blue KC nurse case manager, that question wasn’t unanswered for long.
The case manager flagged Kathy as someone who would benefit from the advocacy and assistance of our Community Health Worker (CHW) program. Miranda Coffey, supervisor of Community Health at Blue KC and a CHW herself, reached out and slowed a trajectory that was going nowhere good fast.
Panic
Kathy was already in a difficult position with her health and the care of her family. When she ran out of paid time off from her job at a local school, that meant she lost pay on chemotherapy and recovery days. And the dominos kept falling. Soon she couldn’t pay rent. Then her landlord threatened to evict her.
Panicked about her living situation, finances, and possibly not being able to continue treatment, Kathy was relieved to have Miranda’s assistance.
Miranda’s plan started with talking to the landlord, who agreed to a rent extension. She then contacted Metro Lutheran Ministries, a local agency, which provided $2,400 in rental assistance. This was enough for Kathy to pay lapsed rent and renew her lease. Importantly, it meant that she could continue her treatment.
“I am not sure I would have made it through without your assistance,” Kathy told Miranda. “You kept my entire family from having to go to an emergency shelter, and I would have stopped my chemo treatment”.
Peace
With her job’s summer break and summer pay schedule starting in July, Kathy had peace of mind knowing she would have a much-needed break from work, receive a regular paycheck, focus on her health, and not have to worry about rent.
There was one more thing Miranda made sure Kathy didn’t have to worry about – food. Especially on chemo days when it was difficult to cook, Miranda arranged for a local community organization to deliver meals. To fill gaps in the family’s food supplies, they stocked up at neighborhood food pantries that Miranda recommended with the help of Harvesters Food Locator tool.
Caring takes a community
Blue KC’s Community Health Worker program and our Community Support Tool provided solutions when Kathy’s world was spiraling. Both are part of our Community Health initiative that focuses on advancing health, reducing gaps in care, and supporting Kansas City’s communities.
