Tiana Andrews: A Life Saved by Coverage

Tiana Andrews, a resident of Maryland, began experiencing serious health complications in high school, though her doctors initially found nothing wrong. “I know my own body and I know when I’m not [well],” she said. Despite worsening symptoms—persistent illness, sensitivity to light, and memory issues—test results kept coming back normal. “Still, every doctor’s appointment was, ‘You’re fine, nothing’s wrong.’”

By her senior year of high school, Tiana’s condition deteriorated. She was so sick she could not function. She remembers feeling the limitations of her illness and thinking, heartbroken, that she would never make it to college.

Eventually, her neurologist ordered an EEG, followed by an MRI. That’s when the call came. “I’ve found a brain tumor,” her doctor told her.

Doctors admitted her to the hospital immediately. At 18, Tiana had to sign the paperwork to approve her own surgery. “I’m still a kid, though,” she said. During surgery, doctors discovered the tumor had crushed her pituitary gland and damaged her optic nerves. While damaging, the surgery was successful in removing the tumor and her life went back to a version of normal.

A year later, she began college, but in 2012m the tumor returned. Due to the complications of her first surgery, she chose to undergo radiosurgery. Even then, treatment came with complications. She recalls being unable to wash or comb her hair during recovery and how uncomfortable she was, though grateful that the radio surgery was successful.

After years without a recurrence, new symptoms appeared. Blackouts began again, echoing her high school experience. Then came a grand mal seizure. “You have epilepsy,” doctors told her. Scar tissue from her original brain surgery had triggered the seizures. “So, what do we do now?” she asked. The answer: regular visits to a neurologist and medication management.

It was at this point that Medicaid became central to her care. After aging out of her parents’ insurance, a hospital nurse stepped in helping get Tiana set up on Medicaid, saving the family from vast medical debt.

Tiana and her mother quickly realized the stakes. “They were a thousand dollars,” she said of one of her life-sustaining medications. “The other one was eight hundred.” Medicaid made it possible to access these medications she needed to stay healthy.

A month later, the nurse followed up. “She just wanted to make sure that everything was OK,” Tiana said. “She was like, good. I’m so happy that you’re covered now because that’s a scary thing not to be covered when medications are expensive like that.”

When asked how proposed Medicaid cuts made her feel, Tiana was clear. “It just reminds me of being in a hospital uncovered,” she said. “The doctors are just telling me; you got to figure something out. That’s a scary thing.”

“Being covered means a lot,” she said. “It means access to medication, access to my doctors, access to anything that I need if something happens again.”

Tiana struggles, living in fear that one day her medical complications may arise once again, but knowing that she can rely on Medicaid for her safety net, means everything.