How Life Insurance Helped a Client through the Initial Shock – An IDC Client Story

Brush With Illness

One of our clients in her mid 50’s recently shared an experience with me. She was experiencing severe breathing problems. After three days of taking antibiotics, she went to the Emergency Department.

When the doctor saw her x-ray, all she heard was a faint, “oh my God.” She was told that she had one of three things: a collapsed lung, lung cancer, or a buildup of fluid around the lung.

He ordered a further MRI to provide a 3D picture to give him a more accurate reading.

While waiting for the MRI and other tests, she turned to thoughts of how to survive. Sitting with her daughter she talked about how people often survive lung removal or transplant.

The Relief of Insurance

She said that the one bright light that helped her get over some of the initial panic was knowing that she had life insurance policies with a critical illness rider. This she could depend on, regardless of the outcome. It goes to show that during times of emergency, we think about how we will survive financially.

Fortunately, they discovered that it was a buildup of fluid between the layers of tissue that line the lungs and chest cavity. Her lung had collapsed due to the buildup of fluid. She remained in the hospital for four days as they drained the fluids and she returned to normal breathing.

The Takeaway

This was a reality check. While very frightening, at least she knew she would be able to get through it financially. She told me that this was a great stress reducer. She felt that the life insurance and critical illness insurance made a huge difference in how she felt, which likely aided her healing – you never know what will happen in the future.

It is also good that she already had it in place. All too often it is these types of emergencies that get us thinking of insurance. By then, it is either too late or too expensive.