Rob Meadows’ Journey: Overcoming Hardship with Good Samaritan

At 55 years old, Rob Meadows has spent most of his life in Vincennes, Indiana. He and his wife, Mendy, have been married for 35 years, raising two children and cherishing time with their four grandchildren.

"My family is great," Rob says. "I couldn’t ask for a better family. My kids are always there for us."

A lifelong car enthusiast, Rob loves working on cars and attending car shows. But in his early 40s, his life took an unexpected turn.

One evening in 2010, after riding his side-by-side, Rob felt a pain in his side. Thinking it was just a minor injury, he went to Good Samaritan’s Emergency Department—only to hear the words that would change his life. “The ER doctor ran some tests and said, ‘You have cancer.’”

At just 40 years old, Rob was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The news hit him hard. “I think that was the first time I cried since I was a kid,” he recalls.

While fighting cancer was physically and emotionally exhausting, it also became a financial struggle.

“You go from having money in the bank to bill after bill after bill. Then the hospital bills start coming in. It was overwhelming.”

Rob was eventually approved for Medicaid due to his chronic illness, which helped cover some of his treatment costs. But as he underwent chemotherapy and had a port placed, his inability to work meant he needed disability benefits—a request that was initially denied because his cancer wasn’t considered incurable.

In 2012, after seven months in remission, his cancer returned and worsened, requiring a stem cell transplant. However, he was still fighting for disability approval—and when his hearing date arrived, he was hospitalized for the procedure.

His wife stepped in, speaking directly to the judge on his behalf. “She made them see that I really needed it,” Rob says.

Finally, his disability benefits were approved—a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. Another relief came when he entered remission again and stayed out of the hospital for a year. Rob was able to go on his wife’s insurance through her job, which helped cover his ongoing treatment.

At this stage, he began receiving immunoglobulin transfusions regularly at Good Samaritan to keep his immune system strong and prevent infections. Rob has had all his cancer care and routine treatments at Good Samaritan, except for the stem cell transplant. “That Cancer Pavilion and the nurses in the infusion center are all amazing,” he says.

For a while, insurance covered everything. But then, suddenly, the pharmacy provider changed, and Rob was told his next treatment would require a high co-pay—an amount he and his wife simply couldn’t afford.

That’s when Good Samaritan stepped in. A team of hospital employees, including Sarah Copp, Revenue Cycle Manager, worked quickly to find a solution.

“They were with me the whole way,” Rob says. “I remember someone telling me there was a program that could help, and then I got a phone call: ‘We’ve got you. We’ve got your medication covered. You will be able to do your treatment.’”

That program was 340B—a federal drug pricing program that allows hospitals like Good Samaritan to purchase expensive medications at a reduced cost and use the savings to help patients in need. At Good Samaritan, those savings go into a Good Samaritan Hospital Foundation fund.

Sarah and her team helped coordinate foundation funding to cover Rob’s copay until additional assistance could be arranged.

“Patients are the reason we are here,” Sarah says. “Insurance is ever-changing, and sometimes patients hit roadblocks. The 340B program helps remove those barriers, ensuring people like Rob get the care they deserve.”

For Rob, that lifeline meant everything.

“If it wasn’t for that, I probably wouldn’t be here,” he says. “There are really good people at this hospital who care. They stood up for me. I have nothing I could ever give them to repay what they’ve done for me.”

Today, Rob’s goal is simple but powerful: to live long enough to watch his grandchildren graduate from high school and college.

His journey has been filled with hardships, but he remains positive and hopeful. For anyone going through a difficult diagnosis or financial struggles, he has one piece of advice: “Don’t give up.”