Havre woman seeks help with cancer bills

Debbie Swanson said doctors told her that if she hadn't fallen and hurt herself, she probably would've been dead by now.

A December 2016 fall that prompted an emergency room visit two days before Christmas revealed a 9-centimeter tumor in her liver. Since then, she has gone through several treatments in relatively quick succession - some treatments birthed other tumors - and the latest phase of treatment includes oral radiation pills that can cost up to $22,000 a month.

Since leaving Medicaid after retirement and going onto Medicare, the Swansons - Debbie's husband, Charles, has been by her every step of the way - said they don't know what to expect. They are negotiating with the parties involved to lessen the cost of the pills, but they anticipate needing financial help one way or another. Charles is retired and Debbie went on Social Security after her diagnosis. In addition to the cost of the pills, the cost of travel and food is adding up. They say they are fortunate to have family in Billings, where she gets treatment, and they stay with them.

Debbie Swanson's best friend, Peggy Montgomery, has organized a fundraising feed Oct. 1 at the Havre Eagles Club at 1 p.m. Fresh sloppy joes, salad and homemade brownies will be served. The Swansons said they will try to make it to the fundraiser if they are not in Billings, where she frequently visits her oncologist and radiologist.

A Debbie Swanson Cancer Fund account also is set up at Stockman Bank, as well as a GoFundMe account that was set up by her grandson for people who would like to help out that way.

Before she had the liver cancer hepatocellular carcinoma, Swanson said, she already had other health issues. She had cirrhosis of the liver and also had rheumatoid arthritis due to genetics, she said. Both grandmothers had the arthritis, she added.

"We never figured out why I had cirrhosis," she said, adding that it could have been a result of years of taking medication for arthritis.

Doctors told Debbie the fall that prompted her E.R. visit "angered" the tumor, which then ignited the pain that sparked tests that alerted her to cancer.

Since receiving her official diagnosis, her life has centered around doctor's appointments and treatment, the Swansons said. In a cruel twist of fate, the chemo that had killed off two-thirds of the tumor, she said, also drove cells from the liver further into the body, where three new tumors formed - two on the spine and one on the pelvic bone. Five sessions of radiation within a two-week span took care of them, Debbie Swanson said.

The only thing left is the remainder of the original tumor, and, doctors told her, that could require up to a year of the oral radiation pills Nexavar.

Debbie is optimistic.

"You're damn right I'm going to beat it," she said.

Up until recently, her optimism was only shared by her radiologist, she said. But now, she added, her oncologist is starting to believe her tenacity will serve her well.

"He said, 'You have proven you are a fighter,'" she said.