Shannon Seaton Memorial Fund

Shannon Seaton died April 20, 2012 at the age of 35 from metastatic inflammatory breast cancer. She left behind three children, Isaiah, 14, Owen, 6 and Lillian 3, and her husband, David.

Here he describes some of their journey: “When Shannon was diagnosed in 2010, it was devastating. In addition to emotional fears, the costs associated with the diagnosis and treatment added to our anxiety. God blessed us with a decent income and generous family, but the financial burden chopped into our budget and made saving for our children's future difficult. We've all read or heard about bake sales, benefit concerts and poker runs to help raise funds for families burdened by medical bills from cancer. Imagine if there was a fund—a pot of money set aside especially for local cancer patients—that they could turn to when the bills keep coming.”

Real Cowley County Stories

Mounting Bills

In 2010, a 35-year-old mother of two young children, ages 1 and 4, is diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. She has medical insurance, but the costs mount for many reasons: • Travel to treatments • Babysitting • High heating bill to keep mom warm • Home medical equipment • Hospital co-pays • Eating out • Burial

The family holds a poker run to defray some of the thousands of dollars in bills. “People don't realize that all these little things add up,” the woman's sister says.

Ongoing Struggles

Another local family without health insurance is forced to use credit cards in 2001 to pay for the mother's chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. Several years later, in 2009, the husband is diagnosed with leukemia. Mom quits work to care for him; the family loses their house. Medical bills and credit problems continue to weigh on the family. “The financial repercussions go on and on,” the mother says.