As Pitt's James Conner fights cancer, family won't battle medical bills
December 10, 2015 12:00 AM
Courtesy of Mike Gallagher
Pitt running back James Conner receives his first chemotherapy treatment Tuesday with his mom, Kelly Patterson, by his side at the Hillman Cancer Center.
By Sam Werner / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
As Pitt running back James Conner embarked on a chemotherapy regimen Tuesday to treat his recently diagnosed Hodgkin lymphoma, he knew he had a long fight ahead of him.
But of all the things Conner and his family will have to worry about as he receives bi-weekly treatments over the next six months, cost is not one of them.
Pitt’s athletic department will pay for all out-of-pocket costs that are not covered by Conner’s family insurance, partly through the department’s athlete insurance policy with UPMC and the rest from their general fund.
“When you hear that your child has cancer, the last thing on your mind is money,” Conner’s mother, Kelly Patterson, said in an email. “All I could think about was getting my son healthy again, no matter what the cost. But now that we have had a few days to take it all in, and realizing that paying for his care is not an issue, it’s such a relief.”