Ann Arbor, Michigan (CNN) Robin Mead had a brain tumor, but no health insurance. And when doctors discovered it, she was defiant.

"They made it sound like a simple surgery -- we're just going to pop a baseball size chunk out of your skull right here," Mead says pointing to her head. "No you're not. I don't have any insurance. They said well, it's not an option, it's a brain tumor. And I said, you're not understanding what I'm saying. I don't have any insurance; I can't afford it."

The 47-year-old mother of three worked a full-time job, but didn't receive benefits. Doctors warned her that leaving the benign brain tumor in place would impair her hearing, vision, and balance, and might even endanger her life.

"She was superwoman," Mead's 28-year old daughter Shellby says. "It was scary. We didn't know if she was going to get better."

But still, Mead couldn't fathom going bankrupt to pay for the surgery.

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