Help Deby Defray Medical Costs After Strokes

Hi, my name is Faye Brenner, and I am raising funds for a dear friend and former fellow tour director, Deby Dahlgren. After training with Deby for my first tour, we continued to keep in touch, going on FAM tours together, and meeting up in DC during student season. After she moved to Minnesota to be close to her daughter and grandchildren, I hadn't seen her in a number of years until she moved to Durham, near me. I immediately knew something was different about Deby. She was always on the ball as a tour director, but now she had some difficulty with tasks. It wasn't until she suffered a series of strokes in January that I learned that she had also suffered a stroke about four years ago.

Deby was driving when she had the first stroke in January, creating a frightening experience. It wasn't until a couple of days later when she had another stroke and a minor car accident, that she went to the emergency room. After her diagnosis, she was told that she can no longer drive, and it was also evident that it wasn't safe for her to live alone. After living with her brother for a few months, Deby moved into an independent living community nearby. At 64, she is the youngest by decades.

Unfortunately, some time right before she suffered the strokes, her medical insurance was canceled for lack of payment: her credit card was denied. Deby was not aware of the problem with the credit card nor that her insurance had been cancelled. Therefore, all of her medical bills from her strokes, including the hospital, doctors, tests, etc., are not covered. Duke is working with her to decrease the costs, but, at this time she owes $28,000. She expects more bills to follow.

Deby is in a safe living situation now where all of her needs are covered; however, the responsibility of paying these bills when she cannot work is overwhelming. Thank you for considering making a donation to help.