need surgery to save me for the rest of my life

Hi! My name is Lisa, I’m 22 years old and I’m a single mother of a beautiful 2 year old daughter. I am also disabled due to health issues. I am trying to raise money for a surgery that will better my health for the rest of my life. It is something that I cannot wiggle around or just not get. The surgery costs would be for a gastric sleeve. I will explain why it’s necessary for me in a bit. First, let me explain why I’ve placed this price and why I’m trying to get donations. $18,000 is the max cost of the surgery and some places do charge that much, regardless of insurance. They take that out of pocket cost before the surgery even takes place. I went through a three month process with another surgeon and it wasn’t until 1 week until my surgery that they notified me about my out of pocket cost. It was thousands that I don’t have, and they did accept my insurance and my insurance covered a lot of it, but not all of it. Either way, every bariatric doctor I have contacted, does collect their own private amount regardless of insurance. There’s nothing I can do to change that and they do not have any payment plans that I can work through. Let me give you some background as to why I need this surgery. 

A little background on me, I was hospitalized back in 2018 due to complications after labor. I ended up going into septic shock and almost all of my organs shut down. I now have a heart condition, lung disease, and more. But one major factor is my liver. My liver has become enlarged and only keeps getting worse every few months. It is from a fatty liver and getting my weight down on my own has been an uphill battle that doesn’t seem to end. Diets make me weak because of all the other things I have and I have to stop doing them because I do have a toddler to care for and I cannot afford to be anymore weak than I already am. I’ve tried keto as well but it was too much on my heart and my liver too. It’s an extremely high fat diet and it wasn’t for me. Exercising hasn’t been easy either. My heart beats super fast and so the target heart rate that is needed to burn calories/lose weight is already reached and the more I exceed it, the more my chest hurts. It also puts a strain on my heart and I cannot keep having that. I am at a high risk of a heart attack or my heart failing from it always beating so fast. I try not argue, I try not get stressed about small things anymore because I still have a lot of living to do. The only way to stop my liver from getting worse, is by losing weight and that’s been a challenge for me. Even if I do manage to lose weight, if I ever gain too much back, I risk completely losing my liver. Now if I have the surgery, I will have someone taking care of my daughter for a month until I can feel like my self again. This surgery can also help my heart and can also help with lungs and a number of the other things I have going on. I really pray that I can collect the amount that I need in order to get this surgery. I have a lot of living left to do still. I have a daughter that I want to raise. Please consider donating. 

Also, further explanation as to why I do not have any disability income, is because I have been waiting 2 years. I have already applied and it’s been a really tough and long process but as of right now, I need this surgery to stop my liver from getting worse, before the damage is too much.