I applied for Social Security disability two years ago on January 10, 2010. At that time, I only had osteoarthritis in both knees and lymphedema in both legs. Then I fell out of bed because of a pinched nerve in my left leg and damaged my left elbow causing ulnar neuropathy. I was denied twice and appealed both times. I hired an attorney who specializes in disability cases. Meanwhile, I developed a large soft tissue sarcoma on September 14, 2011. It was diagnosed as malignant and had surgery to remove it October 19. I developed pulmonary emboli in both lungs on November 10 and finally had a hearing date of January 23, 2012. The judge declared me fully disabled and I will receive my first check next month with retroactive payments to June 2010. My case is different as I didn't receive the cancer diagnosis until well after I filed the first time. I strongly suggest you apply online on the SS website and see if your diagnosis will speed up the process. If you need to, hire an attorney.

Dear akristine,

Thank you so much for your informative email. Also congratulations for receiving social security. Good people deserve something good :-)

Akiko- Just be sure that you are qualified to receive SS. A number of professions nowadays have private retirement systems, and that means that you are not paying into Social Security (such as teachers). If you don't pay in, you are not eligible to get SSDI or Medicare disability.

Hope it goes easily for you.
Ellen

I first went on social security disability when I had my initial bout with Ewing's Sarcoma. The combination of radiation, chemo for a year, and surgery to remove my right arm more than qualified me for ssd. It is now some 10 years later, and after working for those years, I have developed pain in my prosthetic arm, as well as developing all the mental health issues that go with everything we as cancer survivors go through in life. No all cancer patients are eligible for social security. Go to the SS website at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/disability/professionals/bluebook/AdultListings.htm and see if you fall under any of those categories. Good luck and God bless.