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Meet Nancy

Read About her Accessing Resources to Cure Hepatitis

Nancy Lucci was just 19 when she experienced an accident that would change the course of her life.

While riding home from work along with her brother on his motorcycle, they were rear-ended by a car. Her brother eventually recovered, but Nancy would need a blood transfusion to save her life and had long-lasting impacts including brain and back injuries.

The impacts of the accident would eventually cause Nancy to lose her job and health insurance after working for nearly a decade at a financial services firm in New York City. Around the same time, she learned that the blood transfusion had resulted in her contracting hepatitis.

Without health insurance, Nancy struggled with how to address her latest diagnosis. The $40,000 price tag for two-months of treatments to cure it was far too costly to afford on her fixed income. Left untreated, hepatitis threatened permanent damage to Nancy’s liver that could result in cancer or death.

After Nancy’s hospital put her in touch with Good Days, she was relieved to learn that the cost of her treatments would be covered in full.

“I thought I would have to live with this condition or have it kill me,” says Nancy. “I used to worry about this everyday. There was no way I could save up the money I needed. It was such a relief to learn about Good Days. I don’t know how to put it into words.”

Today, Nancy is completely cured of hepatitis. She now enjoys spending less time worrying about her condition and more time building her photography business and reading new books.

“The people at Good Days are as important as doctors and nurses to me, doing what we can never do for ourselves,” says Nancy. “I thank everyone there from the bottom of my heart for helping me get through this.”

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT: ATLAS HEALTH

Earlier this year, Good Days and Atlas Health co-hosted a webinar on reducing financial toxicity. The webinar overviewed how to address financial barriers that can arise during and after treatment for chronic and rare conditions.

Atlas Health automates philanthropic aid to improve access, affordability, outcomes and health equity for vulnerable populations. Healthcare organizations such as Good Days collaborate with Atlas Health to utilize their intelligent matching systems to help improve patient outcomes, advance health equity, reduce the total cost of care, and improve the patient experience.

“We are excited to collaborate with Good Days and shed light on financial toxicity and its devastating impact,” said Ethan Davidoff, CEO and co-founder of Atlas Health, who joined the webinar. “We’re very excited to talk about financial toxicity, the work that we are doing, and what we can all do to reduce it together.”

Expert speakers joined us to discuss proactive financial solutions that health providers can offer and different types of relief that are available to individuals in need of access to care. The virtual event featured a keynote address from Stacy Sanders, Counselor to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.

“Financial toxicity describes the financial hardship, stress, or strain that people experience as a result from a cancer diagnosis or a diagnosis of another chronic, complex or even life threatening disease,” explained webinar speaker Patricia Falconer, a strategic advisor at Atlas Health. “It also describes the coping behaviors that patients and families have to do to manage their care and financial situation.”

Watch the full webinar on reducing financial toxicity for free at www.ChronicDiseaseDay.org.

KEY QUARTERLY UPDATES: CHRONIC DISEASE DAY 2023

Check out these highlights from this year’s Chronic Disease Day events in Frisco, Atlanta and Washington, D.C.!

 July 7, 2023

From left to right: Miss Texas for America Strong 2023 Jen Peterson and son Derrick, social media influencer Cienna Ditri (@chronicallyperservering), U.S. Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne, Mrs. Texas American 2023 AnnMarie Gutierrez during Chronic Disease Day Kick-Off reception in Frisco, TX.

July 10, 2023

From left to right: Randie Odebralski, COO at Good Days, Clorinda Walley, president of Good Days and Dr. Joseph “Adrian” Tyndall, dean of the Morehouse School of Medicine during Disease Day symposium in Atlanta, GA.

July 12, 2023

Congressman Pete Sessions (TX) speaking at Chronic Disease Day luncheon in Washington, D.C.

RE-ENROLLMENT REMINDER

Re-enrollment is coming up this Fall! Check the Good Days website for more information about re-enrolling for financial assistance in 2024 at www.mygooddays.org/reenrollment.

LETTER FROM CEO & PRESIDENT

CLORINDA WALLEY

No matter how many financial assistance grants or educational programs we provide each year, the need for support to manage the impacts of chronic disease keeps growing.

This summer, Good Days led the charge for the annual Chronic Disease Day campaign to help alleviate the epidemic of chronic illness in the United States. Chronic Disease Day is a national awareness day established by Good Days that is recognized on July 10 to bring attention to the fact that seven of the top 10 deaths in the country are attributed to chronic illness.

The awareness day unites a broad coalition of patient advocacy groups, academic experts, and federal and state healthcare leaders. More than two dozen national healthcare nonprofit groups joined us to share what we can do to lower the number of preventable chronic diseases, advance access to care for unpreventable conditions, and build healthier communities.

In July, Good Days co-hosted a symposium with the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta and led a Congressional educational briefing and advocacy summit in Washington, D.C. We also hosted a kick-off reception in our hometown of Frisco, Texas that brought together civic leaders, local patient advocates and our team members.

We’re grateful for the outpouring of support we received during this year’s campaign. Leaders in healthcare and science, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the International Space Station, shared what they are doing to reduce chronic diseases. Landmarks across the country lit up orange to show support. And thousands of individuals shared who they stay strong for across social media.

Thank you to everyone who supported this year’s campaign. Together, we will achieve our shared goal to reduce chronic disease as we continue to support those who need immediate assistance.

Sincerely,

Clorinda Walley

Clorinda Walley

CEO & President

Good Days