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Just six months after retiring from 32 years on the Richmond, Virginia, Fire Department, Len Archer got a devastating diagnosis from his doctor. He had pancreatic cancer, and he likely had only two to eight months to live.
In an instant, Len, 56, and his wife, Paula, went from planning their retirement to preparing for what appeared to be the inevitable.
At the urging of a friend, Len reached out to Cancer Treatment Centers of America® to see if there was any hope. Within a day, he heard back about a trial study with pharmaceutical company Merck & Co.® But there was a big catch: although Len had health insurance, it would not cover the costly experimental treatment.
Soon after he received his diagnosis, Len vowed that he would not allow the cancer to bankrupt them and leave his wife “living under a bridge” after his death. Now the Archers faced the wrenching choice of draining their savings and selling the dream home they purchased a decade ago, or foregoing the treatment.
That’s when Len’s ERIE agent, Doug Cox, called.