Healing And Peace For Deanna

Very few people come in to your life who are truly beautiful and honest to the very core of their being. Deanna is this and more. She is the most proud, independent, free spirited woman who we have been blessed to say that we know. For this reason, she is very hesitant to ask for any outside financial help. Please read her story and search deep into your heart and wallet to give her some help to alleviate some of the financial burden she faces today. She has been given a second chance at life and must concentrate on her health and getting stronger and should not have to have the struggle and worry about how she will pay for the medications and necessary testing she now faces in order to live. Her story is this: I was born in 1967. In 1988 I took a job with a major Insurance Company. #1 in the country. I started low, but showed willingness to advance, went where they told me, when they told me, and moved homes 3 times in the process. I had health insurance, life insurance and a 401K. I met a boy, and while he was in law school I got pregnant and we got married. My first born son came next. I never knew a love so big (and SO scary) in my life. We bought a house, and along came my 2nd son. We were divorced before he was 2. I won’t expound, that’s a different river of tears. I was fine though, I had a good job, and I’d lived with tight money before. I continued to work, advance, and my pay raised, though so did all of my expenses. My ends still met though. Barely, but they did. I did the single mom thing, and after they were asleep at night started working on a novel. That was circa 1999. Fast forward to 2011. My eldest now entering his Senior Year of High School, my youngest starting his Freshman. A major reorganization in the company meant I would have to move no less than 3 hours away. That also meant I would lose custody of my kids, and that was the one thing I was not willing to do. So I made a business plan, and prepared to start out on my own, which happened that August. One of the first things I did was go to my insurance agent to purchase Health Insurance and Life Insurance. I obtained the Health immediately, and they set an appointment for someone to come out and draw blood etc for my Life policy. A few weeks later I received all of the paperwork and cards for my health care, and a letter from the Life Company telling me that due to levels in my blood they could not issue the policy, and suggested I consult with a doctor as soon as possible. That is when my new reality began. After several doctors and dozens of tests, they determined that I was in Stage 4 liver disease. It was “diagnosed” as NASH. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Otherwise known as “fatty liver disease”. I went on some medication, reluctantly got used to a next to no sodium diet and tried to move forward. Thing got worse and pretty soon I was vomiting blood at random times. That got me to another specialist, who for 2 years had me on a regimen of scopes down my throat to band of the tiny veins that were bleeding. I continued to work. Licensed Insurance sales, Property and Casualty and Life and Health, yet I still had to pay for my own health care. If not for ACA no one would have insured me. I finally self-published in 2014. Haven’t made back what it cost me, but that’s okay. In 2015 my Doctor told me that given my young age, my liver was not going to make the ride, and I should be referred on to a hospital who dealt with transplant. I will never be able to find the words to describe how that feels, that sentence. I went, and on July 9 2015 had a consultation with a transplant team. My new doctor thought my one here locally had missed something, so more tests and scopes. But in the end, my liver was simply dying.I had a couple friends offer to get tested for a live donor, but that did not pan out. I had cardiac tests, pulmonary tests, all of my “woman” testing to make sure the rest of my body was okay to go through surgery and that I was a good candidate for a transplant. And when that was all clear I was listed. There were 3 calls, all no-go’s due to one reason or another. Then on October 5th the good call came, and I woke up 24 hours later with a new liver. I joy that is indescribable, that 2nd chance at life. There is something to be said for facing death, you live much deeper.What I also woke with that day, was a hospital bill that blew my mind. When I got home I added up all of the years of my bills. In 5 years? 1 million 123 thousand. My out of pocket is at about 48K. I didn’t know about the medicine though. For the first 3 months post surgery they ran 5K per month. Since they let me off the most expensive one it is now at about 3500. (that is with insurance) And the bulk of them are permanent, for the rest of my life. In the end I estimate about 2 thousand per month, forever for the drugs. And though it seems like I should be able to say it is “over” it is not. The 3 year survival rate is 78%. That means I still must be diligent about my diet and medications. With the changes happening with our Health Care system, I probably don’t need to mention that I am very afraid.I have drained my 401K, and the loans on my kids’ life policies. There was no other way for me to pay any of these medical necessities. My eldest lives here and gives me money from work, enough to feed everyone for a month, my youngest is a sophomore in college. My partner makes enough to keep all the bills current, we have cut out cable tv and many other non-essentials. Yet the “ends” that used to meet are now so far apart they wouldn’t even recognize each other. I find myself now, in a “new-new” reality. People have been suggestion the “Go Fund Me” option for quite some time, I’ve donated to many myself. But I never wanted to ask that of anyone. One of the things I am most proud of is that I have always been able to support myself and my kids, without help. But we’ve reached the end of that. My eldest works and lives here with me to help, and my partner busts butt to make all of the bills. But I am on the cusp of losing the home I have lived in for 20 years, horrid credit that makes it very hard to move forward, and the need for ongoing treatment that there is no way to afford. Even though I was able to get a plan for this year, it does not allow me to cross state lines into IL from IN, even without subsidization. I tried the regular path, but it turns out that if the company is not part of the ACA they will turn you down for pre-existing conditions. 2018 may leave me with no option at all. I intend to get back to working as soon as I am cleared to do so. I never wanted to be a burden on another person, let alone on the “system”. Though as I mentioned before, I have not received a dime from SS or anyone else. No “food stamp”, no help with meds. I make too little to qualify for ACA but since I own (or owe a mortgage on) a home cannot qualify for Medicaid. And either way, both of those are not stable right now. Even with a job I won’t be able to afford the meds. The hole just keeps growing deeper, while I continue to hold out hope.I understand that times are hard for everyone. I understand if you cannot help. But please share this? With your family, you friends. You never know who knows someone going through hell and continues to fight as stay as positive as possible. You never know who might be in the position to help, or have the story strike deeply for a loss of a loved one.