Becky Frank, a grandmother of five, used to be full of energy. Fast forward to June, when she learned she had stage 3 breast cancer.
Her daughter, Cherlyn Edwards, was devastated but also determined to get her mom some help. She found an oncologist who specializes in triple negative breast cancer, which is harder to treat.
The doctor recommended adding a drug known as carboplatin to her chemotherapy treatment to help remove the cancer.
"It's an aggressive cancer, and I mean, we absolutely have to have this," Edwards said.
But on the day of treatment, Frank said her nurse came to her with some sobering news: Her insurance denied the carboplatin treatment, and she was sent home.
The following week, Frank and her daughter called the doctor's office again. They said a nurse informed them that nothing had changed. The treatment was still denied.
"I was really angry. It's just crazy to me that her doctor says she needs a certain treatment to help her and the insurance is denying it," said Edwards.
NBC 5 Responds
Responding to your consumer needs and connecting you to your money.
Her daughter was not letting up on this, so she called NBC 5 Responds for help.
We reached out to Frank's insurance company and they reached out to Frank and her daughter that same day.
About a week after we reached out, Frank received a letter in the mail, informing her that her treatment had been approved.
Frank's insurance told NBC 5 that the coverage had been approved before we got involved. Frank and her daughter said that's far from the truth.
But either way, we see this as a problem solved.
Frank received her carboplatin treatment and we're hoping for her speedy recovery.
