MSKCC

[jalusa]

I am sending my paperwork Monday. I hope they will see me.

I am from Minnesota. For those that go there and especially those that have had major surgery there, how do you do it? Do you use hotels? I am not wealthy.

[momof3]

Try Hope Lodge. Not sure of requirements

http://www.cancer.org/treatment/support ... x?from=CSN

Good luck!

[BrownBagger]

I live about a five-hour drive from Manhattan, so we generally drive down and back in a day. However, when we stay in NY we generally stay at the Pod51, which is about two blocks from the E 53rd St. clinic. It's less than $200 a night, which is relatively cheap for NYC. Hope Lodge is certainly worth investigating. They have weird rules and it can be hard to get in (and they only let you know at the last minute), but it's free, which is worth a lot.

Food and ground transportation can be cheap once you learn where to eat and how to use the public transportation. Plus, Sloan has busses that run between the parking garage, hospital and clinics.

You should look into Corporate Angels for travel, if you haven't already. That's a good way to get to and from NYC for free--and in style. I know people who use services like Price Line to get affordable rooms in Manhattan, though I don't stay there often enough to justify the extra work.

All that said, we're heading down for an overnight tomorrow. It's our wedding anniversary, so we're going to splurge on a hotel room and a nice meal before my consult on Monday.

Good luck to you. Hope to meet you down there some time. We're moving back to Wisconsin in a few years, assuming I'm still around. And, assuming I still have this disease, I'll be in a similar situation.

[midlifemom]

If you talk to a social worker at MSKCC they can provide low cost hotel options like Hope Lodge. I believe YMCA is another cheap lodging. Before my surgery there, we stayed at a hotel in NJ to save money.

[BrownBagger]

Yeah, I'd consider staying up the train tracks a ways to save money if I had to be down there for an extended stay, like for radiation treatment or a clinical trial or some such. You could save a lot with a short train ride, I think.

[TheLadySkye]

When I went to MSKCC I stayed at:

Marriott Courtyard New York Manhattan/Midtown East

Address:
866 Third Avenue
(Between 52nd and 53rd Streets)
New York, NY 10022
1-800-321-2211

The hotel is located in the same building as the Rockefeller Outpatient Pavilion at 160 East 53rd Street (where the GI medicine facilities are located). Memorial Sloan Kettering offers shuttle service from the Rockefeller Outpatient Pavilion to our main campus at 1275 York Avenue, running every 20 minutes, Monday through Friday. After the sticker shock I noticed from other nearby hotels (and this one), I found that they have a Memorial Sloan Kettering rate (I think around $120 a night is what I paid) if you tell them you're a patient.

Good luck to you!

[vilca11]

This all is a very helpful info for people who will travel to NY/Sloan - thank you for posting this topic, Jalusa. And thank you for the comments, guys.
Hugs, Vilca

[CM35]

I also live in MN, and traveled to MSK for surgery, and I also have an HAI pump, so I traveled monthly for that while I was having that treatment.

I had never been to NYC prior to going to MSK, and I was not comfortable staying far from the hospital or clinic. There are a lot of posters who are from the New York area who I am sure could give you some pointers if you are more adventurous than I! I stayed at the courtyard Marriott midtown east hotel, as another poster said. Very convenient to the outpatient clinic. It actually is quite convenient for when you are hospitalized, if your caregiver will be staying in a hotel. There is a free shuttle between the outpatient center and the hospital. They are about 2 miles apart, though, so it is walkable. As for the hotel, they offer a special rate for MSK patients. Be sure to speak to the local manager of the hotel; reservations will often tell you there is not a patient rate, but there is. When I had surgery, I had my liver, colon and ovaries resected, as well as had the HAI pump placed. I was in the hospital a week, and my surgeons asked I stay in NYC for a week after being released, to make certain I was stable before flying home.

We are not wealthy people either. I will say I was, and continue to be, amazed by everyone who has helped us along the way. Sometimes it is very hard to accept the help, but let them. There is such a strong sense of community in the Midwest, partuicularly MN. It makes people feel good to help out - just be prepared to say thank you, A LOT, and write a lot of thank you notes!

Good luck to you, if you have any questions, feel free to ask or PM...

Colleen

Edited to add: when I travel, I fly delta. They have a medical fare, which I believe saves you 10% on the airfare. The biggest benefit is that if you have to change your ticket, for unexpected medical reasons, they waive the change fee. Which is $100 per person per direction. I had to change several times, so that made a big difference! You have to call the airline to get this fare, and they will need your doctors information and information about your condition.

[jalusa]

Thanks for the responses. It does sound intimidating.

One thing at a time. They have to agree too see me first.

[Stanfordmom]

Jalusa,

For monthly short trips, we generally used hotels that are close by to the 53rd street clinics such as Marriott courtyard (someone mentioned above), Hilton garden inn, and etc. They usually have MSKCC rates. For my two surgery trips for which We had to stay longer, we booked small apartments through airbnb.com. I think if your total out of pocket medical cost is higher than 10% of your adjusted annual income, you can deduct it when filing your tax.

Good luck and hope MSKCC is willing to see you!

Sha

[juliej]

Edited to add: when I travel, I fly delta. They have a medical fare, which I believe saves you 10% on the airfare. The biggest benefit is that if you have to change your ticket, for unexpected medical reasons, they waive the change fee. Which is $100 per person per direction. I had to change several times, so that made a big difference! You have to call the airline to get this fare, and they will need your doctors information and information about your condition.

It now costs $200 to change or cancel a non-refundable airfare so this is great advice! However, if you aren't flying Delta, ask your MSKCC oncologist to write a letter stating that you had to change your dates for emergency medical reasons. Mail the letter to the customer service address of the airline and they will refund your money. It worked for me.

[jens22]

Corporate Angels is Definetly the way to go. As I understand it....It's free and you get a ticket for you and a companion. Business Buy out sections of seats and then donate unused ones. If you need to stay in a hotel and want to stay in the outter areas....New Jersey, Secaucus, Meadowlands area usually has transport into the city and then you can take a cab or bu.s cross town. Get Groupons and Travelocity also.

[jalusa]

I am struggling with insurance. My carrier can't tell me what is covered and what is not until the doctor actually orders the procedure. So... I could go to NY and get started down the road not knowing if the next leg of the journey is covered. I don't know what to do.