CRITICAL CONDITION - KAREN'S STORY

Karen Dove loses her insurance because her deteriorating health forces her to quit her job as an apartment manager. When she begins experiencing severe recurrent abdominal pains, the doctors she contacts refuse to treat uninsured patients. A year later, after she finally finds a gynecologic oncologist willing to treat her, she is diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer, which is almost always fatal. Karen undergoes surgery and chemotherapy, which drives her cancer into remission but sinks her family deep into debt. She and her husband are forced to sell their belongings and move into a less expensive home, and Karen must forego necessary treatment and medication, A year after her operation, her cancer appears to have recurred, and like half a million other Americans, she faces a tough battle against cancer without insurance.