Karen is in her mid-thirties and lived alone with her 3 year old son. She worked as a temp in the past but in late 1999 she began to embark on a career as a nurse’s aid. She enrolled and started to work in a training program to learn this new vocation. It was when she began this new chapter of her life that the doctor discovered a lump on her breast.
She went to the gynecologist for a routine visit. When the doctor found a lump he immediately ordered tests. The tests came back abnormal indicating the presence of carcinoma in lumps on both breasts.
To Karen the news was devastating. Both her grandmother and her mother died from breast cancer, her mother only two years earlier. Her initial reaction was to ignore the problem but when she could ignore it no longer the doctor removed both of her breasts and an infected lymph node. Still, even after the surgery, Karen’s oncologist believed that the cancer was in an advanced stage. He ordered alternating treatments of chemotherapy and radiation which began in April, 2000 and were to continue for at least one year.
The effects of the chemotherapy and radiation were severe. The chemotherapy treatments caused anemia, nausea and vomiting, bleeding and easy bruising. The radiation treatments went clear through Karen’s body and severely burned her back. She developed lymphedema which caused her hands and arms to swell rendering them useless. Karen suffered from severe depression.
Unable to work, Karen exhausted her savings and began to borrow money from family and friends to pay rent and other expenses. She exhausted her emergency benefits in Delaware and received only $270 per month from the General Assistance program. With nowhere else to look for support, Karen applied to the Social Security Administration (SSA) for disability benefits in February, 2000.
SSA denied Karen’s initial application for benefits. Karen applied for reconsideration of the decision and SSA denied her claim again. At this point, Karen decided she needed legal counsel and came to Community Legal Aid Society.
The attorney at CLASI helped Karen appeal the decision to an administrative law judge. The attorney contacted Karen’s medical providers and thoroughly documented the extent of Karen’s illness and disability. At the request of CLASI, Karen’s oncologist wrote a detailed memorandum to the administrative law judge explaining her condition and stating that Karen was clearly disabled. Karen had become so ill from the treatments that he had to delay the next round of chemotherapy.
CLASI accompanied Karen to the hearing before the administrative law judge. The attorney submitted the additional documentation demonstrating the full extent of Karen’s illness. The judge asked Karen some general questions concerning her condition which Karen could barely answer between her tears. With clear evidence before him that Karen was entitled to Supplemental Security Income benefits the judge stopped the hearing and made a decision awarding benefits on the spot.
Karen still faces some very hard times and a tough battle with a horrible illness. The benefits payment that she now receives has helped significantly to relieve some of the burden that she faces.
