The 1 thing this cancer patient says saved her life during treatment

Blogger Xeni Jardin's story gathered thousands of retweets.

Blogger Xeni Jardin isn’t in favor of President-elect Donald Trump's plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act. According to Xeni, Obamacare saved her life—and removing it may put her life in jeopardy again.

Xeni detailed her story in a series of tweets this week. According to Xeni, she was diagnosed with cancer a few months after purchasing her first insurance policy and leaving a “violent, abusive relationship.” “It was the first time I had control of my finances,” she wrote. “The first thing I did was buy insurance, so I'd feel better about riding my bike in LA.”

Xeni says she went in for a mammogram in December 2011, noting that she was “so excited” that it would be covered. She was diagnosed with breast cancer that day.

Within a few months, she underwent chemo, surgery, and radiation. But, during one chemo session, she says a woman from the billing department pulled her aside and said her insurance company was investigating her for fraud because they believed her cancer was a pre-existing condition.

“I went in to cancer clinic bracing myself for medicine that would maybe save my life,” she says. “An insurance company wanted to shut it down for fraud.” Luckily, Xeni says she was cleared and she continues to receive treatment to keep her alive.

“ACA has been only thing standing between me and insurance company greed,” she said. “I only have enough in me to fight cancer, not insurance companies.”

Xeni adds that her insurance company fought to deny her care, and she lived because they couldn’t. “If we don't protect Americans like me, Americans like me will die,” she said, noting that her cancer bills are still astronomical, despite having coverage.

Xeni specifically addressed the largely-male lawmakers that are behind the repeal. “May each one of these men experience the anxiety that I as a cancer patient feel right now, knowing I'll die if care becomes unavailable,” she wrote.

Reception to Xeni’s tweets have been overwhelmingly supportive. “I hate that this is happening. I'm so glad you're sharing your story,” one person wrote. “These damn insurance companies—they don't give a sh*t about us, the consumer,” another said. Others shared stories of their own struggles, as well as how they had difficulty affording cancer treatment, which put their health in serious jeopardy.

Xeni now says that she’s still undergoing treatment and hopes she’ll continue to be able to afford to do so. “I do not know all of what's ahead. I know a little,” she wrote on her blog. “I know that there is a new kind of life on the other side of this thing.”