Stephanie’s Emergency Medical Bills

Hello! My name is Mel and I am starting this on behalf of my older sister Stephanie, who is unfortunately one of 27 million people in this country who are uninsured due to the cost of healthcare. We humbly ask you read her story and help if you can.

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Stephanie was having abdominal pain. She had a fever and GI distress. It improved slightly and she was able to eat a light meal at Thanksgiving. However, on Saturday night, the severe pain returned and she was taken to the emergency room. Her pain was so intense she was faint and unable to move, and the hospital was so understaffed she waited for 6 hours in this excruciating pain. Once she was seen, they found she had a hole in her colon from a ruptured diverticulum.

She was immediately rushed into an emergency life-saving surgery to remove the infected part of her colon. They placed a colostomy so her contaminated and infected abdomen could heal. After 11 days in the hospital, she was able to tolerate liquids and she will now start her recovery at home.

She will be able to have the colostomy reversed in another surgery in 3-6 months. In the meantime, she is learning to change and use her colostomy “baggie" as well as modify her diet to accommodate her new GI system. This recovery will be a long journey for Stephanie - she will be unable to work, and is slowly regaining her mobility and strength. Thankfully our amazing family, our parents & sisters, her boyfriend Curt and our Aunt Geo haven’t left her side and have seen first hand how much goes into assisting her day to day.

The irony here is my sister is an essential healthcare worker and worked endlessly throughout the pandemic. She has devoted her life to taking care of others, so much so she looked over taking care of herself. She is an incredible friend, sister, niece, daughter and so much more. She helps everyone around her, and is always a great support. Even as an essential worker, she couldn’t afford to insure herself, which shows how broken our system is. She recently became a live-in caretaker for our beloved ‘GPA’ Fred who is now missing her terribly.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, anything helps.