Tuesday, July 3, 2007
A Friend in Need
Posted by Jim Ridley on Tue, Jul 3, 2007 at 4:27 PM
Send a birthday greeting today to Nashville writer, filmmaker and activist Molly Secours, who could use all the well wishes you can spare. Secours is the director of several documentaries on social issues, including the TennCare debacle. That makes her current situation all the more wrenching. This note was sent a few hours ago to Secours' many friends in the local film community:
Last Tuesday Molly was diagnosed with uterine cancer. On Friday she underwent hysterectomy surgery, which went really well. The doctor didn't see anything outside of the cancer mass but she needs to wait until Tuesday for the pathology report to confirm that the cancer has not spread. The mass they removed was a Stage 3 (on a scale of 1-3, with 3 being the most dangerous) so the doctor has recommended radiation therapy to begin 4-6 weeks from now, giving her a chance to recover from the surgery.
We don't know yet how long the treatment will last. Her sister, Anne, who is a nurse, was here during the surgery and is now staying with Molly at her home for at least the early stage of her recovery, and will most likely return again when the radiation begins.
As a self-employed documentary filmmaker and free-lance journalist, Molly, like many other workers today, did not have the insurance to meet this unforeseen medical crisis. While TNCARE does cover breast and cervical cancer it does not cover uterine cancer—one of those cruel ironies that Molly's documentary on TNCARE sought to highlight.
Molly is exploring signing up for other insurance, including Access TN, but none of it will be retroactive. So not only is Molly facing no income for the period of her recuperation, she is also facing the cost of the surgery, including doctor and hospital bills.
Donations toward her medical expenses may be made to Molly Secours Benefit Fund, AmSouth Music-1600, Division #100, Nashville, TN 37203. Friends are also organizing a benefit as well as a calendar for meal delivery. As for the birthday greetings, send them to mollmaud@comcast.net. They'll help.
UPDATE: Through a friend, Molly Secours sent word that she does in fact have limited Blue Cross insurance; she just has no idea how much of her potentially catastrophic medical expenses it will cover.
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