Support for Tiffany and her TMJ Replacement

Hi, my name is Beth and I have created this GoFundMe to support my dear friend, Tiffany Smith!

Tiffany is a wife, foster mom, pediatric nurse, equestrian, yoga-practicing and travel-loving human. Two years ago doctors discovered that her right jawbone is degenerating due to a non-cancerous bone tumor on the left side of her jaw. This has led to her worsening ability to chew food well, speak without pain, and has impacted functioning in every area of her life. If not surgically corrected, the tumor will continue to grow and the joints will continue to degenerate, impacting her ability to breathe, speak, eat, and hear.

The 9-hour surgery needed to fix the degeneration would remove her decaying jaw joint and tumor. Her upper jaw will have to be detached from her skull and repositioned to align appropriately with the new jaw. Thankfully, the surgeon expects that this rare and specialized process will lead to a full recovery, but Tiffany will not be able to work for 3 months due to the extensive healing process.

Financial Update (09/17/24 THREE DAYS UNTIL SURGERY)

When we first started this GoFundMe 2 years ago, we had a dramatically incorrect understanding of how insurance works when going out of network for a provider. In the spirit of being brief, here is a summary of the situation and the reality of what we’ve shouldered financially:

My surgeon is one of the best in the world and is out of network. He requires a cash payment of $73,000 prior to surgery. Thankfully, insurance HAS approved my surgery, but has deemed his services to only be worth $47,992. They will reimburse us $39,992 (our out of pocket max for out of network is $8,000). We will not receive this reimbursement until after the surgery and we’ve been warned it’s not guaranteed.

From my time of diagnosis in January 2022 until now, Elliott and I have paid $103,742 out of pocket for my care (surgeon’s fees, 2 arthrocentesis procedures, airbnb expense, lost income during recovery, myofunctional therapy, chiropractic adjustments, etc). This amount has been paid in the following ways:

-$67,8000 in loans

-To date (09/17) we’ve been generously blessed with nearly $11,000 from you all on our GoFundMe.

-Our own savings (over time, budgeting differently, etc): $24,942

Thankfully, the hospital is in network with my insurance and will be covered at 100% since we’ve met our out of pocket maximum with the surgeon’s fees.

In summary, we intend on using the $39,992 we receive from insurance to pay back the loans. Any gift you contribute will also go towards loan repayment.

I cannot believe we are 3 days away from surgery. After 17 years of pain, wearing a splint, and making accommodations for pain control, I don’t even know how to picture my life healed and whole. Everyone’s support has been overwhelming, heart-warming and life changing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

This is where we come in! Tiffany is one of the most caring and compassionate souls. She spreads positivity and love amongst her patients, animals, and people in her life. She needs our help now so let’s rally around Tiffany to support her during this time.

To stay up to date on Tiffany’s treatment and recovery, check out Tiffany's Facebook page here.

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2023 Information:

The surgery is $62,000 and is due as a cash payment prior to the surgery. The insurance company won’t approve prior authorization until the surgery is complete and has already rejected paying $7,000 for the pre-surgical braces treatment required for the surgery. Tiffany and Elliott are pulling from multiple forms of funding, including care credit, home equity line of credit, and long-term savings, but still need our help for the full amount!

Cash due to the surgeon in March: $21,500

Cash due to the surgeon in August: $40,500

Other out-of-pocket expenses/income losses/Insurance out of pocket max: $25,500

Hospital fees submitted to insurance: Estimated to be around $100,000