‘Surreal’: San Diego State Student Graduates After Mom’s Cancer Battle Almost Derailed Him; Generous Cancer Survivor and Faculty Member Comes to the Rescue

The San Diego State University (SDSU) graduate was in a very tough spot when he received a notice on his door saying his family had three days to pay or he would have to quit school. Thankfully, a caring faculty member made sure he didn’t have to leave school.

Tammy Blackburn is the director of Development Technology for SDSU Alumni and a former star basketball player for the school. She was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2017 around the time McCullough started school. After a year of treatment, doctors said the disease was behind her but, unfortunately, she was diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer just six months later. Many people would probably navigate this hardship by focusing on themselves, but Blackburn looked outward instead.

“As I was in treatment, there was a young gal that walked into an infusion one day. For whatever reason, my eyes locked, and as I was driving home that afternoon, I kept thinking about, ‘Why her? She's so young?'” Blackburn told 10 News.

So amid her PET scans, treatments and hospital visits, Blackburn set out to create the Wallace, Shatsky, Blackburn Courage Through Cancer Fund.

"This student fund is meant to keep students in school,” Blackburn said. “The goal is for them to graduate and not allow a personal diagnosis of cancer, or that of a loved one, to take them away from their dreams.”

The fund is named for surgeon Anne Wallace and oncologist Rebecca Shatsky at UC San Diego Health both of whom treated Blackburn.

"They saved my life," Blackburn told SDSU NewsCenter. "Working on this fund, named for them and directed to SDSU students, has been a giant healing step psychologically and emotionally."

The new fund covered McCullough’s previous debts and a portion of his tuition, a meal plan and books for the next year. Because he maintained his strong academic performance, McCullough was able to keep the funding for the rest of his time at SDSU and graduate as a biology major. As he begins taking the next steps in his future by planning to research stem cell cancer treatments, other students at San Diego State will continue to be given the same opportunity to succeed. The Courage Through Cancer fund has helped more than 20 students at SDSU so far.

“When cancer calls at San Diego State, San Diego State has an answer,” Blackburn told 10 News. “They have somewhere to turn. They have somewhere to look to when cancer takes all that away."

McCullough’s Mother’s Cancer Journey

Cones was McCullough’s sole support for college. And when she was diagnosed with stage four cancer, she was forced to quit her job as a clinical research associate. McCullough began a part-time job at Home Depot, but the cost of his education and the cost of Cones’ care was becoming too great. It wasn’t until Blackburn visited McCullough and his mom in August before his sophomore year that he realized he wouldn’t have to leave SDSU.

Cones’ diagnosis was squamous cell carcinoma that had metastasized to the bone. But what exactly does that mean? Squamous cell carcinoma is a cancer that begins in squamous cells the thin, flat cells that resemble fish scales and are found in the tissue that forms the surface of the skin, the lining of the hollow organs of the body and the lining of the respiratory and digestive tracts.

According to Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center, squamous cell carcinoma can spread to nearby lymph nodes, bones or distant organs (such as the lungs or liver). Normal squamous tissue usually appears flat, but when it becomes cancerous it can appear as round masses that are flat, raised or ulcerated.

The Cost of Cancer

The financial burden of a cancer diagnosis is an unfair reality for most cancer patients, but there are ways to try to cover costs if you’re struggling to afford your care. Some people opt for crowdfunding techniques like GoFundMe or even cryptocurrency campaigns, but these options aren’t always the most successful or reliable.

Speaking with social workers affiliated with your cancer center can be an option for people who don't like the unpredictability of crowdfunding. Oftentimes they can help guide patients to helpful resources when the financial burden becomes too great. Patient assistance programs, for example, can be beneficial. Your social worker might point you to one of these programs when it comes to specific, expensive drugs because some pharmaceutical companies offer to help patients cover the cost.

Reaching out to various foundations can also be a viable option for cancer patients. There are many nonprofit and advocacy organizations that offer programs to help financially support a patient's cost of care. The Lazarex Cancer Foundation, for example, helps patients cover costs associated with clinical trials and other organizations like the American Cancer Society and the Cancer Support Community may help with travel costs for treatment.

Regardless, it's always a great idea to explore your options and talk to people who might be able to help. Dr. Allyson Ocean, a medical oncologist at Weill Cornell Medical Center, recommends finding an advocate within the medical field. Speaking from experience, Dr. Ocean knows having an medical advocate in your corner can make all the difference. She calls insurance companies all the time to help her patients get the treatment they need covered by insurance.

Paying for Cancer: Find Someone Who Will Advocate For You

"My best advice to work around the system of whether or not drugs or tests can be covered for cancer is to make sure you have an advocate in your field working for you," Dr. Ocean says. "The frustrating part for me is that sometimes we even have to educate the insurance companies and say, 'There's a reason why I want to use this medicine.’"

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