Case stories

Aneta

, 39 years old

Location of patient: Poland

Health condition: Breast cancer

Hospital: MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid

Type of treatment: Chemotherapy and surgery

Cost of treatment: €166,000

Background
Aneta was a healthy, 39-year-old nurse in Poland who was married with a five-year-old son.

One morning in the shower she felt a lump in her right breast.

She underwent a consultation with her doctor who ordered a biopsy and genetic test which showed Aneta had developed a rare form of breast cancer.

Her cancer was caused by a harmful mutation in her BRCA1 gene and was only seen in 5-9 percent of cases.

Her doctor in Poland told her there was no chance of a cure.

Devastated and shocked by her terminal prognosis, Aneta contacted the Further team and asked us to investigate whether there may be treatment abroad.
How Further helped
We carried out a detailed assessment of the case and collected her medical records and imaging documents.

We looked for the best treatment centre that would accept Aneta as a patient and presented a choice of several leading hospitals in Spain, Germany and Italy.

Aneta chose the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Madrid that specialises in breast cancer treatment. The hospital is an international affiliate of the MD Anderson Group, a renowned group of US-based hospitals known for their clinical excellence and breast cancer expertise.
Treatment and impact
Because Aneta was covered by our Critical Advantage policy, she faced no financial or geographic barriers to receiving her treatment. Further took care of all the arrangements on her behalf.

Following her first consultation in Madrid and a full medical check, cancer was also detected in Aneta's lung.

The doctors recommended chemotherapy to reduce the area of the tumour. An operation on her lung cancer was performed successfully using the latest medical technology.

All costs and arrangements for the surgery, treatment, travel and accommodation were covered by the insurance that Aneta had first taken out in 2013 for the birth of her son.

She is now back home and feeling better. She is still being supported by her foreign doctors and the Further team.
"We know that in Poland, when it comes to the treatment of serious illnesses, it is tough, the access to modern medication is difficult, and we thought that someday everyone can fall ill, so we decided to get the insurance."
"I believe I made the right decision but it was difficult leaving my son. I didn’t know how things would end and worried I might lose precious time with my baby before I passed away. But I came for treatment and now here I am - with my husband and my little son and I’m living a normal life."

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Nuno Mergulhão

Chief Information Officer

An experienced information technology leader with a strong background in pharmaceutical, industrial, and retail industries, Nuno has expertise in delivering on transformative technologies in areas like CRMs, ERPs, WCMS, Omnichannel and Cloud Computing on a local and global scale.

Joe Romanos

Global Head of Sales and Account Management

A lawyer by background, Joe started his career in insurance and health services after completing a Master’s in Global Management at the Antwerp Management School. Over the last 7 years, he has built a successful track record in several commercial functions, first as an individual contributor and, thereafter, as a leader. Joe joined Further in June 2022 to strengthen Further’s commercial capabilities and enable the team to deliver against the business’ growth ambitions.

Nicola Carter

Chief Product Officer

Nicola has over 20 years’ experience in underwriting, product development and marketing in leading international insurance companies. At Further, she is responsible for developing innovative health-related insurance products & services and building sustainable relationships with our key reinsurance partners.

Greg Jarzabek

Chief Digital Officer

Greg joined Further following their acquisition of Trustedoctor digital platform. He is responsible for digital transformation and digital stakeholders’ journey in Further products. Greg is an experienced co-founder with a demonstrated history of working in the health and wellness industry. Greg has previously held senior leadership positions in the financial industry at Mitsubishi UFJ and Merrill Lynch after graduating from Harvard Business School.

Amanda Frayne

Chief Legal Officer

Amanda is our Chief Legal Officer and provides her strategic and commercially driven leadership and expertise to our business globally in all areas related to law, regulation, and compliance. Amanda has over 20 years’ international and cross border industry experience in legal, compliance, strategy, and transformation within a broad range of global industry sectors from insurance and technology to travel and customer engagement/loyalty. Prior to joining Further, Amanda established, led, and developed the global legal function at Collinson Group – a global privately owned group of companies spanning a range of sectors with over 1,700 employees, 1,500 clients and servicing over 400 million consumers globally.

Fernando Muñoz

Head of Business Transformation

Fernando contributes with strategic insights, business acumen and operational experience acquired through a long track of complex transformational programs in Accenture and Cigna, where he developed IT and Service Operations leadership roles in dynamic, global and business-challenging contexts.

Yaan Cao

General Manager China

Yaan is responsible for managing Further’s business in China. He was part of the core team involved in the company’s entry into China and South East Asia and supported the business development in both regions.

Ana Antunes

Global Head of Operations

Ana is responsible for global Customer Operations and Medical Management, providing strategic, operational, and clinical leadership from product ideation to operational implementation. Ana works every day with a purpose: to make a positive impact on people’s lives and with a commitment to always deliver customer value. Ana previously held key management roles in the Health Insurance sector as well as in the clinical setting as Operating Room Head Nurse.

Mei Yan

Chairwoman, Greater China

Mei Yan built up Further’s business in Greater China and is currently Chairwoman of Further’s business there, with more than 20 years’ experience in insurance, finance and consulting. This includes MSH, Mercer Consulting and McKinsey.

Ekaterina Ogareva

Director of Business Development (Russia and CIS)

With 20 years’ experience in insurance Business Development, Ekaterina has held a number of directorships and senior roles in the insurance industry, including at Best Doctors, Marsh, Renaissance Life and AIG.

Damien Payne

Director of Corporate Solutions

As one of the company’s co-founders Damien has been a central part of Further’s growth from the beginning. He currently heads up the Corporate Solutions division providing innovative health products and services to large multinationals enabling those employers to deploy these healthcare benefits equally to employees across the globe.

Ignacio San Miguel

Global Business Support Director

An experienced insurance director with a strong background in health and wellness, Ignacio has expertise in insurance operations, new market and product development, customer service and strategic planning. Ignacio drives Further’s business development objectives and handles new client opportunities alongside the sales and operations teams.

Tatiana Macías

Chief of Staff

Tatiana is responsible for ensuring Further’s operational excellence and high quality standards that form the strong foundations for supporting and driving our business growth during a time of ongoing change in global healthcare. Tatiana previously held senior leadership roles at Cigna, as well as several key management roles with Swiss Re.

Antonio Lubrano

Group General Manager and Chief Financial Officer

Joining the Further team after 27 years in leadership roles at IBM around the world, Antonio brings extensive knowledge in developing and managing strategic, secure and high-performing processes, as well as far-ranging experience in financial operations and processes on an international scale.

Frank Ahedo

Chief Executive Officer

Frank’s expertise in developing turnkey insurance products with a focus on serious illness is guided by his vision for solutions that allow access to top quality international healthcare, regardless of geography. Under his leadership, Further has strengthened and built strong partnerships with leading insurance companies, international banks, multinational brokers and major corporations worldwide.

John smith

CEO

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Let’s face it, no look is really complete without the right finishes. Not to the best of standards, anyway (just tellin’ it like it is, babe). Upgrading your shoe game. Platforms, stilettos, wedges, mules, boots—stretch those legs next time you head out, then rock sliders, sneakers, and flats when it’s time to chill.Let’s face it, no look is really complete without the right finishes. Not to the best of standards, anyway (just tellin’ it like it is, babe). Upgrading your shoe game. Platforms, stilettos, wedges, mules, boots—stretch those legs next time you head out, then rock sliders, sneakers, and flats when it’s time to chill.Let’s face it, no look is really complete without the right finishes. Not to the best of standards, anyway (just tellin’ it like it is, babe). Upgrading your shoe game. Platforms, stilettos, wedges, mules, boots—stretch those legs next time you head out, then rock sliders, sneakers, and flats when it’s time to chill.