Healthcare Help for Em and Rowan
Donation protected
Introduction:
Hello! We are Emily and Rowan, a married queer couple struggling under the nightmare that is the American Healthcare system.
In 2018, Emily was diagnosed with Stage III Ovarian Cancer and had to have a complete hysterectomy, double oopherectomy, and removal of her cervix. After a grueling year of chemotherapy, she was declared in remission in 2019, but has suffered from health problems related to her cancer and surgery since then. In February, she underwent an emergency surgery for two hernias in her abdominal wall where her surgery incision scars are.
In January 2020, Rowan was hospitalized with a mystery illness attacking their lungs. In April of the same year, they were diagnosed with advanced Stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma that had progressed into their lungs. They had to return to work six months into their treatment or risk losing their health insurance, which covered both them and their wife. In February 2021, they were hospitalized for a week for chest pain and shortness of breath, and learned that unfortunately, their health struggles were far from over.
About Our Campaign:
When it rains, it pours, and our dual hospitalizations, Emily’s surgery, and my continued lung battles has wiped our paltry savings and dipped into our money for rent, utilities, and prescriptions, let alone food, doctors appointments, and gas.
We are asking for help to try to get back on our feet financially, so that we do not lose our home and can receive the medical care we both desperately need.
$5000 is the minimum we would need to cover rent for both March and April, utilities, gas, car insurance and payment, road tolls (Emily’s oncologist, a specialist, is in another city), doctors visits including both oncologists and primary care, and prescriptions, as well as costs for using the laundromat and household cleaning items.
To give you an idea of how much of a burden prescriptions are financially: Rowan takes 9 prescriptions daily, and Emily currently takes 4 daily.
Our campaign does not include hospitalization costs and surgery costs, because ideally we would like to raise the money to become financially stable again, and begin paying those debts on our own. The dream would be to advocate hard and long enough that everyone could have universal healthcare, and not have to choose between their health and rent or groceries. If we included hospital costs, it would add another $17,000 to the campaign total, which feels like asking too much, especially during a time when so many people are struggling.
In Conclusion:
All I have to give is my sincerest, most from the bottom of my heart and soul gratitude and thanks for even reading this far.
If you donate, you’ll get to see pictures of our kitty cats with each update! We may be biased but they are extremely cute. I (Rowan) love to make people laugh, and will add funny stories from work as a mortician (general stories, nothing that would upset any of the families I have served). Emily is a Historian and will include funny historical anecdotes, like “this day in history” sorts of things. It’s not much, but we like to give back. I also intend to personally thank each donation that comes in. It’s the least I can do.
For full transparency, any funds raised above the $5000 asked for will go towards paying hospital bills. I can post itemized bills (with certain identifying info blocked out) if needed, should it come to that.
If you are wary of sending money on the internet, but still want to help, we have an Amazon wishlist of mostly groceries and household items not factored into the campaign goal. https://amzn.to/2ZXSPxW
If you want to help, but cannot afford to (or have already helped!) sharing our story and campaign is just as appreciated.
Hug your loved ones (but practice social distancing)! Get your annual physical. Write a letter to a politician. And most importantly, be kind to each other.
With Love,
Em and Ro
Update 2/28/2021!
We are overwhelmed and amazed by the generous outpouring of support and kindness and love from everyone.
While our campaign goal is still $5000, you may have noticed we moved the goalposts a bit for a “stretch goal” of $15,000, or $10,000 more than our original goal. We are still paying on medical bills from 2019 and 2020, and the $10,000 would make enough of a dent to keep medical debt collectors happy while we continue to make payments.
If we make the stretch goal, or come anywhere close to it, it will be a tremendous help. I would say “in the unlikely event we surpass the stretch goal”, but as we’ve seen over the last 24 hours, anything is possible.
I (Rowan) believe in transparency and accountability, and intend to keep donors informed as to where their stretch goal money is going and what bills we are celebrating the conclusion of! Celebrate with us, this is a three years and counting nightmare that we are closing some chapters on, we can’t help but feel positive and optimistic! We plan on posting our first official update when we reach $4500 and head into The Final Countdooown!
Thank you for coming along on this ride with us.
Hello! We are Emily and Rowan, a married queer couple struggling under the nightmare that is the American Healthcare system.
In 2018, Emily was diagnosed with Stage III Ovarian Cancer and had to have a complete hysterectomy, double oopherectomy, and removal of her cervix. After a grueling year of chemotherapy, she was declared in remission in 2019, but has suffered from health problems related to her cancer and surgery since then. In February, she underwent an emergency surgery for two hernias in her abdominal wall where her surgery incision scars are.
In January 2020, Rowan was hospitalized with a mystery illness attacking their lungs. In April of the same year, they were diagnosed with advanced Stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphoma that had progressed into their lungs. They had to return to work six months into their treatment or risk losing their health insurance, which covered both them and their wife. In February 2021, they were hospitalized for a week for chest pain and shortness of breath, and learned that unfortunately, their health struggles were far from over.
About Our Campaign:
When it rains, it pours, and our dual hospitalizations, Emily’s surgery, and my continued lung battles has wiped our paltry savings and dipped into our money for rent, utilities, and prescriptions, let alone food, doctors appointments, and gas.
We are asking for help to try to get back on our feet financially, so that we do not lose our home and can receive the medical care we both desperately need.
$5000 is the minimum we would need to cover rent for both March and April, utilities, gas, car insurance and payment, road tolls (Emily’s oncologist, a specialist, is in another city), doctors visits including both oncologists and primary care, and prescriptions, as well as costs for using the laundromat and household cleaning items.
To give you an idea of how much of a burden prescriptions are financially: Rowan takes 9 prescriptions daily, and Emily currently takes 4 daily.
Our campaign does not include hospitalization costs and surgery costs, because ideally we would like to raise the money to become financially stable again, and begin paying those debts on our own. The dream would be to advocate hard and long enough that everyone could have universal healthcare, and not have to choose between their health and rent or groceries. If we included hospital costs, it would add another $17,000 to the campaign total, which feels like asking too much, especially during a time when so many people are struggling.
In Conclusion:
All I have to give is my sincerest, most from the bottom of my heart and soul gratitude and thanks for even reading this far.
If you donate, you’ll get to see pictures of our kitty cats with each update! We may be biased but they are extremely cute. I (Rowan) love to make people laugh, and will add funny stories from work as a mortician (general stories, nothing that would upset any of the families I have served). Emily is a Historian and will include funny historical anecdotes, like “this day in history” sorts of things. It’s not much, but we like to give back. I also intend to personally thank each donation that comes in. It’s the least I can do.
For full transparency, any funds raised above the $5000 asked for will go towards paying hospital bills. I can post itemized bills (with certain identifying info blocked out) if needed, should it come to that.
If you are wary of sending money on the internet, but still want to help, we have an Amazon wishlist of mostly groceries and household items not factored into the campaign goal. https://amzn.to/2ZXSPxW
If you want to help, but cannot afford to (or have already helped!) sharing our story and campaign is just as appreciated.
Hug your loved ones (but practice social distancing)! Get your annual physical. Write a letter to a politician. And most importantly, be kind to each other.
With Love,
Em and Ro
Update 2/28/2021!
We are overwhelmed and amazed by the generous outpouring of support and kindness and love from everyone.
While our campaign goal is still $5000, you may have noticed we moved the goalposts a bit for a “stretch goal” of $15,000, or $10,000 more than our original goal. We are still paying on medical bills from 2019 and 2020, and the $10,000 would make enough of a dent to keep medical debt collectors happy while we continue to make payments.
If we make the stretch goal, or come anywhere close to it, it will be a tremendous help. I would say “in the unlikely event we surpass the stretch goal”, but as we’ve seen over the last 24 hours, anything is possible.
I (Rowan) believe in transparency and accountability, and intend to keep donors informed as to where their stretch goal money is going and what bills we are celebrating the conclusion of! Celebrate with us, this is a three years and counting nightmare that we are closing some chapters on, we can’t help but feel positive and optimistic! We plan on posting our first official update when we reach $4500 and head into The Final Countdooown!
Thank you for coming along on this ride with us.
Organizer
Rowan Tekampe
Organizer
Sarasota, FL
