Please Help Fund Chris's Heart Surgery

Chris is the heart of her family – but now her heart and her family need help.

 

My name is Jamie, and one of my dearest friends is Brittany. Since we met as kids playing softball, we’ve been close, sometimes inseparable, and I’ve grown to love her family as if it were my own. Her mother, Chris, is an amazing woman who has gone above and beyond to selflessly devote herself to Brittany and her sister, Caitlin; their dad Kenny; and now, three adorable grandchildren.

 

The Heart of the Story

A few days ago, Brittany’s parents finally took some time for themselves to take a dream cruise to Canada – but just before they docked, the dream became a nightmare. Chris, a healthy woman, suffered a heart attack, and that was only the start of the trouble. Cruise ships don’t take insurance unless it’s specific medical insurance purchased through the cruise line. Deciding whether to get that insurance feels like a gamble no one wins – paying a lot of money for a week’s worth of insurance just about no one ever needs, or finding yourself with no coverage in an emergency. Unfortunately, this wonderful couple ended up in an emergency with no cruise medical insurance.

 

A Heavy Heart – and a Heavy Debt

As a result, the life-saving care Chris received on the ship cost them $7,000 out of pocket. Once they were in port, the cruise line transported Chris to a Canadian hospital where she received a cardiac catheter – and a diagnosis of much more serious issues than anticipated. She needs to be flown back home to New Jersey ASAP for open heart surgery at Cooper University Hospital. The flight alone,

including medical staff, oxygen, and other critical care, is estimated at between $12,000 and $15,000. Then she will have bills from Cooper for surgery and care, and once she returns home, she faces at least three months of recovery likely requiring additional medical support services.

 

Please Consider Giving From the Heart

Chris is retired, and Kenny, a foreman for a boiler company and Uber driver, needs to get back to work the moment they get back to NewJersey to maintain their income and, most important, their health insurance. Brittany, a nurse, is pursuing family leave to take care of her beloved mom. But the staggering medical expenses, which are likely to top $20,000, are crushing to their wallets, their peace of mind, and frankly, their future.

 

I hope you will consider joining me in helping Chris and her family navigate this heartbreaking journey by sharing this link with family and friends, and, if you can, giving any amount you can to help pay for her care.

 

Thank you!

Jamie Johnson