Terri's pacemaker surgery - gifts from the heart

Why are we here?

Last summer, Terri started having symptoms related to low heartrates. She was required to take 30 days off work in September while she had tests to get to the bottom of the problem. The 30 days did not result in a solution and a doctor that did not think she needed a pacemaker. He did want her to undergo an expensive electrical study of the heart. She chose not to do this procedure as it is very risky and invasive and would not bring any new information. He did note that she has sick sinus syndrome, but would not approve the pacemaker. Terri did not agree with the decision of no pacemaker, but there was not much that could be done at that time. Time went on and the symptoms continued. She was missing out on her own life at this point as she was fatigued, dizzy and nauseous.

Fast forward to February… Terri’s symptoms continued and had gotten worse. She met with a new doctor and he agreed that she definitely needed the pacemaker. He scheduled surgery for March 9. Unfortunately, Terri’s insurance denied her surgery and denied the appeal. Her doctor put her on another heart monitor to collect additional data. They sent the data to the insurance company showing her heartrate at 35 beats per minute. This was also the time that she had a dizzy spell and was sent home from work. Her doctor rescheduled surgery for April 14 and appealed the original denial. Once again, Terri’s insurance denied the procedure. At this point, she was having issues working due to dizziness, nausea and fatigue. She hadn’t felt good for 8 months. We were out of options with only one left. Terri took a loan from my dad and had the surgery on April 14.

Why I want to help?

As the big sister, it has been hard to watch Terri have to take a back seat to life. She has had to miss a lot of work. It has been hard to be present in daily life, especially her kids’ lives. The low heartrates also caused extreme fatigue. When she was able to work, she would be wiped out on her days off, so primarily slept on her days off. It has been frustrating to watch her do the right things and continually get beaten down by an unfair system. I know that she and my dad did the 100% right thing by moving forward with the surgery. I also know that the fact she had to borrow this money from dad and his retirement savings weighs heavily on her.

She is now 2.5 weeks post op with her new pacemaker. The difference for her has been night and day. For the first time in months, she was able to walk with Jillian and the dog around the block. She does not have to sleep most of the day. She can do things that we take for granted, like cleaning her house, without needing to take a rest several times. Her coloring is better and she is not chilled to the bone 24/7. Her voice even sounds lighter. She has hope that her world will get back to a better place. She is looking forward to getting back to nursing and taking care of her patients. I am getting a glimpse of having my sister back.

I want to take some of the weight of this loan off of her and my dad as these insurance denials were not any fault of her own. The insurance denials have created a financial hardship for her and my dad. She played by their rules and the insurance failed her. The only request she would not do is say yes to a $20,000 test that was risky and invasive. They had the information without this test and she felt the risk was too high. She was penalized for not wanting to risk her life. I want to have many more years with her as we have a lot more memories to make.

How can you help?

I ask that if you are able or feel drawn to do so, please help with a donation for this surgery. Help us do the right thing that they insurance would not do. All gifts, no matter the size, are appreciated. This is considered a gift, not a charitable donation, so it would be from the heart without a tax deduction. All money raised will go through Terri and directly to my dad to repay the loan for the surgery.

How will you see her celebrate?

Just so that no one questions were this money is going to, it is 100% paying for the surgery and lost wages while she was off for recovery. She has previously planned a trip in June to celebrate Jillian’s graduation. This trip was paid for well before she knew that she was going to have to pay for this surgery. She worked overtime during covid to help make this trip possible and has everything prepaid. She is still taking this trip to make memories and celebrate her new lease on life. Cancelling the trip would not have resulted in refunds to pay for the bills, just credits for future travel. I am thankful it was paid for and they are going to be able to make this trip happen. More importantly, she will actually be able to feel so much healthier and be able to enjoy it. I felt it was important to share this as I didn’t want anyone to think we were using funds for this trip.

Thank you

Thank you in advance for any help you can give. I truly appreciate your help in restoring Terri’s hope and helping her and my dad during this time.