Fighting For Chansen: Family Hits Tsunami Of Costs To Cover Third Round Of Cancer Treatment
CORAL SPRINGS, FL – Editor’s Note: A 20-year-old Coral Springs resident Chansen Savakinus is fighting cancer for the third time in his young life. His mother, Destiny Haggett, is chronicling the experience in a series of articles for TAPinto Coral Springs.
This is part seven.
Since Chansen was six, we have been playing a never-ending game of catch up financially.
My family was finally climbing out of it when, suddenly, Chansen got sick again and Covid-19 hit.
Another tsunami of costs hit us: housing, flights, meals, and, of course, medical care. It demolished our savings yet again.
We are trying to navigate the multiple layers of this current battle. Due to the rarity of Chansen’s cancer, we aren’t able to get medical treatment locally. That means travel costs going across the state every week, and more time off work. At this point, though my work has been incredible with accommodating my unpredictable schedule, I am out of paid time off.
There are the battles of getting prescriptions covered that insurance won’t pay for and the big cost that lies ahead for us — traveling to Chicago for his surgery. It’s looking more and more promising we will be heading to Chicago for his first surgery to remove some or most of his tumors. We must prepare to be there anywhere from three to 12 weeks.
The past couple of weeks have been rough, emotionally, physically, and, yes, financially.
Chansen’s second infusion of chemo was horrible. After the first one had gone so well with minimal side effects, we went in overly confident that this treatment may not be as bad. Boy were we wrong. Only 30 minutes into the infusion Chansen became extremely ill and started having spasms all over his body. I sat there horrified as I could see his muscles spasming everywhere. Even his tongue and mouth were experiencing them.
I was helpless to do anything about it except talk him through it, trying with all my might to not let the tears building up behind my eyes release onto my face. Chansen ended up being admitted to the hospital overnight as he was unable to walk. Eventually, the spasms began to slow down and subside, but then he had stomach issues for a week. He lost eight pounds in six days and needed two bags of IV fluid to rehydrate him.
As Chansen goes through his treatment, we are asking for financial help and getting creative. We have swallowed our pride and set up a GoFundMe page to assist us. I have friends working on fundraising projects for us, and I am rethinking previous projects and finding ways to fill the income gap that comes from this battle.
I am taking one day at a time, one concern at a time, knowing we are surrounded with support, and trusting that it will all come together somehow. It’s a faith not just out of hope, but out of previous experience.
Read part one in this series here.
Read part two in this series here.
Read part three in this series here.
Read part four in this series here.
Read part five in this series here.
Read part six in this series here.
Destiny Haggett is a Coral Springs advocate for pediatric cancer research, former model, and public speaker who runs a private 962-seat live entertainment venue in South Florida. Destiny’s husband, Bill Haggett, is the general manager of Coral Springs Center for the Arts.