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We were first introduced to Critical Illness at an agents' meeting in 2003. We all thought that, "Wow, this product is really too good
to be true". In the event of a diagnosed illness it would pay out the lump sum that you bought
and that lump sum could be used towards any expense that you would incur while you were
ill. I started contacting some of my key clients and the first one that came to mind was a
client by the name of Marie. Marie was a very driven business owner, very focussed, and
took care of everything around her but she felt that she was invincible. We applied for
the product and it came back with a rating. She had a mother that had died of cancer.
Her father was a diabetic. These illnesses that are covered in the product are mostly
illnesses that are hereditary. So she was at a higher risk because these illnesses were
contained in her family. So I convinced Marie, you need to take this policy because of the
rating. This just means that you're at higher risk. So Marie purchased the policy. In May
2010, Marie called me to let me know that she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
I explained to Marie that there would be a claims rep from our Life department that would
give her a call and walk her through the things that she need to provide our Life department
to get this claim paid out. When the claims rep first contacted her, their first questions
were: "Marie, how are you feeling? How are things going? Where are you at? Are you still
working?" That was very surprising to Marie because she thought it would be straight business.
Marie shared with me her first day of her first chemo treatment. She walked into the
hospital room. There were about 15 chairs. They were big Lazy Boy chairs and they were
all full but one. And Marie knew that that was her chair. There was a couple sitting
next to her and the gentleman had left the room on several occasions. He was leaving
the room to check the parking meter. He didn't have the funds to pay for a parking ticket.
Marie was thinking, if this couple would have a Critical Illness policy, they could really
concentrate on getting better and on her health and not on the financial burden that the illness
had brought on. Marie had decided to continue working for just mental reasons, to keep her
focus on the right things or the more productive things versus her illness. Marie knew that
she wasn't forced to stay home or she wasn't forced to go to work. Having that policy gave
her the flexibility and the freedom to do whatever she chose to do. A few months later
Marie gave me a call and it was a very happy day for her as she had just gotten the news
that she was cancer free. She said, "Alicia, you know, I got the best treatments, the best
physicians that looked at my file, I was diagnosed with cancer, I didn't die and I received these
funds for the two policies that I bought. She said, "Geez, it's almost too good to be
true." And I explained to her, "Marie, that's the purpose of critical illness. You need
to survive your illness." And luckily, Marie had a 92% cure rate, but having these funds
in her hands got her to focus on her recovery and not the illness. As a Co-operators Financial
Advisor, I do not want to have it on my conscience that I didn't do my job and offer this product
to my clients. People ask me why I hold this product so close to my heart and I am so passionate
about it. Well the reason is, I am Alicia Marie Leblanc and this is my story.
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