Last September, Danny Claire attended a get-together with classmates from his high school graduating class. It was an unofficial 40th reunion that still makes him smile.
“I have great memories from that,” Danny says.
It was a major step, even a milestone, on the road he traveled from learning he had cancer in 2019 to finding the “normal” amid surgeries, recovery and medical appointments.
First steps on a challenging road
Danny was an IT specialist and taught at a local college in central Tennessee when he experienced persistent swelling in his neck. A biopsy along with removal of lymph nodes pointed to cancer.
“You’re in a haze because you’ve heard the ‘C’ word,” he says. “But then I thought of my sons, and then it became, ‘Let’s get this done.’”
Radiation and chemotherapy followed. Danny returned to work and to many of the outdoor activities, like fishing, he’d previously enjoyed.
But the cancer returned, and Danny had more surgeries. In 2021, doctors removed a tumor at the base of his tongue that was the source of the cancerous cells found earlier in his lymph nodes. In early 2025, he had his Adam’s apple removed.
“When they told me I’d need another round of radiation, I said, ‘I guess it’s time to buckle up again,’” he remembers.
Along the way, he found support in family and friends and in BlueCross, his health insurer of nearly 25 years.
He called BlueCross with questions related to billing for his surgeries and treatments and got help from customer service teams who often called providers on his behalf.
“It was unbelievable how helpful they were. When you’re going through all that, you have so much stuff on your mind anyway,” Danny says. “To know that all you’ve got to do is call the 1-800 number on the back of your member ID card if you have a problem. and you get that kind of response … I was blown away.”
Moving toward recovery
Cancer surgeries and treatments are only a part of Danny’s story over the last seven years. He had a benign mass removed from his colon that was seen during tests to find the source of the cancerous cell in his lymph nodes. Hernias along the colon surgery site required more surgeries.
He’s also experienced other health conditions unrelated to his cancer between rounds of radiation and chemotherapy.
It’s been a lot, Danny says, especially the mental anguish that can accompany a health condition like cancer.
He’s still getting treatment in the form of immunotherapy. But he’s thankful for the help he’s had along the way, and his health insurance coverage that helped cover much of his medical costs which let him focus on his health rather than his finances.
Over the years of treatment, Danny’s medical costs resulted in $1.5 million billed by providers. BlueCross network discounts lowered the bills by $1 million; BlueCross paid $467,000 for his claims, covering nearly 98% of the costs.*
“Nine months before the high school reunion, I didn’t know if I’d be feeling well enough to go,” Dannys says. “But I made it, and I have those memories and things seem to be heading in the right direction now.”
Marie joined the BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee corporate communications team in 2012. A Florida native, she has more than 25 years of experience in public relations, community relations, speech writing and special event planning.