Support Beverly Pérez Rego's Medical Recovery

Help an International Grad Student Overcome a Hypertensive Crisis

Dear Friends and Supporters,

My name is Beverly Pérez Rego. I am a Venezuelan poet and translator, author of six volumes of poetry and several translations (Mark Strand, Louise Glück, Natalie Handal, Najwan Darwish, and others), and creator and editor of the experimental translation blogs Atlantean Poets and A New Venezuelan Poetry. I came to the US as fellow of the International Writing Program of the University of Iowa, where I later earned an MA in Latin American literature and an MFA in Literary Translation in 2017. I am now a doctoral student at the University of Oklahoma.

Three years ago, during the ongoing crisis in my native country, many of you generously helped me travel back to the US to pursue my PhD. I am incredibly grateful for your kindness and support. Today, I find myself needing your help once again, but for a different reason.

Why I Need Your Help:

Three years after moving to the United States to pursue my studies, I have recently suffered a hypertensive crisis, a condition that can have serious consequences. It has implied multiple visits to the ER, physical examinations, doctors’ appointments, transportation to hospitals, and different medication and treatments. The US insurance system stipulates that all of these procedures are only partially covered by my international student insurance and require significant copays.

This situation has affected my limited stipend as a GTA, and I am now facing unexpected medical bills that I cannot afford on my own. These expenses are overwhelming and will continue to accumulate as I am now obliged to have more physical examinations in relation to my cardiac situation. As an international student with no family means, and given the situation in Venezuela, my home country, I am struggling to cover both my current medical costs and living expenses as I await new physical examinations and tests for conditions related to my cardiovascular condition. These tests were booked months ago and will commence in February 2025 due to current delays in scheduling medical appointments.

As my student insurance does not fully cover the full treatment costs, any future procedures to ensure my recovery are not guaranteed.

Despite receiving a kind one-time emergency scholarship from my university’s Graduate College in September ‘24 for expenses at that time, the bills have begun to multiply. Further, I need resources for additional exams to address any related underlying conditions (CAT scans, cardiac imaging, pulmonary and other scans). All these represent a significant amount.

How You Can Help:

- Donate: My goal is set at US$ 4,500. Any amount you can contribute will make a huge difference. I’ve recently learned that my co-payments have increased significantly. Your help will cover a month of my current medication, pay for a doctor's visit, or alleviate my accumulated medical debt. ER visits in the US run in the thousands, and every dollar helps..

- Share: Please share this campaign with your friends, family, and social networks.

In the midst of the COVID crisis, I overcame nearly impossible odds with your help and traveled from Venezuela to the US for my doctorate. I am determined not to let this profoundly generous collective effort be interrupted nor do I want to lose this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity because of my unforeseen health crisis.

As I will soon begin to prepare for my doctoral exams and immerse myself in my research on Colonial Latin American women mystics, I am focused on overcoming this crisis and successfully attaining my degree. I must honor my goals and all those who helped me in the past to come to the US for my PhD.

Your support means everything to me, and I am deeply grateful for any help you can provide. Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for your generosity.

With gratitude,

Beverly