Kidney Stone, Financial Ruin Ensues
Donation protected
Friends, Relatives, Sympathetic Persons,
lend me your ears:
For those of you who know the story, I thank you for your prayers and emotional support... and the flowers and cards. For those of you who don't:
I had some kidney issues resulting in emergency admittance and subsequent surgery to Munson Medical Center this past Spring. What most of you do no know is that I was technically homeless for three years prior to that. 100% of my income went into keeping my car to keep my job and as warm a place to sleep as I could find in temporary housing. Exactly one week after I got into an apartment to share with a friend the kidney stone went tearing through my insides.
We (doctor & I) knew before it became an emergency that it was there. I spent what was left of my inheritance money on the pre-admittance doctor visits and medicines, believing that it would pass and not be a problem. You know, because most people pass a kidney stone without too much trouble. Wouldn't you know it, mine got stuck, on a growth that had to be tested for cancer.
No cancer but the stone was stuck well and true. Apparently I also have Polycystic Kidney Disease inaddition to PCOS. You know, because the Cosmos has a sense o...f humor? At any rate, to get by I borrowed ahead of my paychecks to get by these last few months. On my behalf Munson filed Medicaid and Medicare paperwork which took a wee bit longer to process than the social worker anticipated. I've been denied. I also appealed to Munson's charity division. I was denied. While I was homeless AS the situation developed, I was not homeless WHEN the surgery took place. And as usuall all assisstance is based on pre-tax figures not the reality of the figures that I have to deal with so I failed to meet the requirements by having made a few hundred dollars too much.
I had not anticipted Munson's denial; in fact I anticipated having no problems since the social worker seemed so certain. I have recieved the grand total of 14, 722.97 from Munson and 1,977 from the Urologist totaling the whopping 16,000.00 goal. To say this is overwhelming is beyond understated. The coming months with a slow down at work were going to force me into a second job any way. As I can not get anyone to agree to what my paycheck says I can pay, I am forced to turn elsewhere for help so that I do not become homeless again.
And yes.... that is a real possibility. My financial strains are already impacting my living relationship and not making the recovery any easier. No... the kidney isn't 100% but I haven't sought treatment because I can not afford more bills. I have time to let it heal on its own. I do not have time to pay these people as they insist they have been patient and would like their money now. So I appeal to you to prevent lawyers from becoming involved. Yes... trying to find the money on my own and failing has made it come this far.
Money is tight everywhere. And recent government policy changes have made things even tighter. I work, pay my taxes and am paying down studnet loans while stuck in a job with no room to advance and do not qualify for any other kind of aid. Anticipating the next question: if I bought insurance from my employer I would not be able to pay for my responsibilities for utilites or 1/4th of my rent. In fact, purchasing insuranc would hve garaunteed I would have been homeless without benefit of temporary housing. I know you all know this is a balancing act... my tightrope is thin indeed.
Because I know how hard everyone has it I do not EXPECT assisstance. I will however, JOYFULLY APPRECIATE whatever can be shared. Even if you can not donate directly, please share this posting with whom you can in the hope that the simple act of asking, does as it said, lead to recieving. Though things are tight there is still a spirit of generosity in the world and people who are looking for others to help out where all other avenues are exhausted.
Thank you all so much for prayers & your emotional support through this whole mess. I wish I had done some things a bit differently... like not talked myself out of this posting 100 times sooner. Live and learn.
lend me your ears:
For those of you who know the story, I thank you for your prayers and emotional support... and the flowers and cards. For those of you who don't:
I had some kidney issues resulting in emergency admittance and subsequent surgery to Munson Medical Center this past Spring. What most of you do no know is that I was technically homeless for three years prior to that. 100% of my income went into keeping my car to keep my job and as warm a place to sleep as I could find in temporary housing. Exactly one week after I got into an apartment to share with a friend the kidney stone went tearing through my insides.
We (doctor & I) knew before it became an emergency that it was there. I spent what was left of my inheritance money on the pre-admittance doctor visits and medicines, believing that it would pass and not be a problem. You know, because most people pass a kidney stone without too much trouble. Wouldn't you know it, mine got stuck, on a growth that had to be tested for cancer.
No cancer but the stone was stuck well and true. Apparently I also have Polycystic Kidney Disease inaddition to PCOS. You know, because the Cosmos has a sense o...f humor? At any rate, to get by I borrowed ahead of my paychecks to get by these last few months. On my behalf Munson filed Medicaid and Medicare paperwork which took a wee bit longer to process than the social worker anticipated. I've been denied. I also appealed to Munson's charity division. I was denied. While I was homeless AS the situation developed, I was not homeless WHEN the surgery took place. And as usuall all assisstance is based on pre-tax figures not the reality of the figures that I have to deal with so I failed to meet the requirements by having made a few hundred dollars too much.
I had not anticipted Munson's denial; in fact I anticipated having no problems since the social worker seemed so certain. I have recieved the grand total of 14, 722.97 from Munson and 1,977 from the Urologist totaling the whopping 16,000.00 goal. To say this is overwhelming is beyond understated. The coming months with a slow down at work were going to force me into a second job any way. As I can not get anyone to agree to what my paycheck says I can pay, I am forced to turn elsewhere for help so that I do not become homeless again.
And yes.... that is a real possibility. My financial strains are already impacting my living relationship and not making the recovery any easier. No... the kidney isn't 100% but I haven't sought treatment because I can not afford more bills. I have time to let it heal on its own. I do not have time to pay these people as they insist they have been patient and would like their money now. So I appeal to you to prevent lawyers from becoming involved. Yes... trying to find the money on my own and failing has made it come this far.
Money is tight everywhere. And recent government policy changes have made things even tighter. I work, pay my taxes and am paying down studnet loans while stuck in a job with no room to advance and do not qualify for any other kind of aid. Anticipating the next question: if I bought insurance from my employer I would not be able to pay for my responsibilities for utilites or 1/4th of my rent. In fact, purchasing insuranc would hve garaunteed I would have been homeless without benefit of temporary housing. I know you all know this is a balancing act... my tightrope is thin indeed.
Because I know how hard everyone has it I do not EXPECT assisstance. I will however, JOYFULLY APPRECIATE whatever can be shared. Even if you can not donate directly, please share this posting with whom you can in the hope that the simple act of asking, does as it said, lead to recieving. Though things are tight there is still a spirit of generosity in the world and people who are looking for others to help out where all other avenues are exhausted.
Thank you all so much for prayers & your emotional support through this whole mess. I wish I had done some things a bit differently... like not talked myself out of this posting 100 times sooner. Live and learn.
Organizer
Sherry Crocker
Organizer
Traverse City, MI