Michael lives with his wife and two children in Knoxville, Tennessee. In 2017, he had just sold his fire inspection business and was working as an independent contractor, while his wife worked at a gym.
In September of that year, Michael went to the emergency room with immense pain that he thought might be appendicitis. Within an hour of being admitted, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Within days, he found out his cancer was Stage 3-B, that 18 lymph nodes were infected, that he would need immediate surgery and that the chemotherapy following surgery would be long and intense.
The same week that Michael was diagnosed, the gym where his wife worked closed. Both Michael and his wife found themselves without an income and with a terrifying diagnosis.
Fortunately, because Michael had young children, he was able to qualify for TennCare Medicaid. “It was a total sense of relief when we got on TennCare,” he said. “As soon as it kicked in, I said: ‘Okay, we can make this work.’”
Michael had surgeries and appointments over the course of five weeks before TennCare Medicaid began covering his care and he is still working to pay off those costs. Michael is now working full-time, and he and his family are covered by his employer’s health insurance. He is grateful that TennCare Medicaid was there for him when he needed it.