A
former NCAA Division I college swimmer and dedicated triathlete,
Meredith Moore was a portrait of good health and fitness at age
30. But just weeks after giving birth to her first child, Erik,
she began suffering from headaches so strong they reduced her
to tears. A series of doctor visits culminated in a CAT scan that
revealed the cause: A malignant, fist-sized brain tumor called
a glioblastoma multiforme that is almost always fatal.
What
followed was an aggressive treatment strategy that included three
brain surgeries, a seven-week chemotherapy regimen at Duke University’s
renowned brain tumor center and more chemotherapy at home in Alpharetta,
Ga. Though unable to work for a year, Meredith’s disability insurance
replaced 60 percent of her income, ensuring her illness would
not add a financial burden to the challenges that she and her
husband, Keith, already faced.
Fortunately
Meredith, an insurance agent, knew exactly what to do when she
was in her twenties. She had purchased as much disability, life
and long-term care insurance as she could. Told she would be lucky
to live for one year, Meredith has now been cancer-free for more
than two. She has even returned to work part time, with a partial
disability benefit supplementing the income she now earns. Most
remarkably, she’s once again competing in triathlons.
Meredith knows a recurrence of her cancer is more a matter of
“when” than “if.” But she’s determined to make the most of her
new lease on life, both in her personal relationships and her
professional ones. “I really push my clients to plan and put things
in place now because I know personally that bad things can happen,”
she says.
