Push for Pat
Donation protected
Most of you already know and love Pat McAvoy, who is a nurturing, caring individual who has been banking good karma for many years now by “momming” everyone around her with the tenderest loving care. Now Pat is in serious medical trouble and she needs all of us to take care of HER for once!
For those who don’t know Pat, she is the glue that holds her little family together; her husband Mike, their daughter Kate, and their dog Sadie all revolve around Pat like the sun. Her income was the sole income for her household. Pat and Mike have always lived paycheck to paycheck, and now Pat is unable to work for that paycheck because she has been blindsided by a near-death experience that has left her very weak and scared.
Here are the details: Pat had some digestive blockage which led to a bowel perforation when treated with laxatives. Her PCP prescribed her a heavy-duty laxative [which we found out later probably would have killed her] and told her to come back in a month. The next night (Thursday, April 16), she was having emergency surgery to save her life, as she was nearly septic from the internal injury.
Thankfully, she survived the procedure, but the damage was so bad that the surgical repair was very invasive and will involve a long road to recovery. After almost two days in the ICU, Pat has been moved to a recovery room and has finally been able to have some water today (Sunday, April 19).
Unfortunately, as she becomes more coherent and starts to realize the situation she is in, Pat is now susceptible to the panic of wondering how to pay for all of this, or indeed, how to pay her next bill. The story gets worse, because due to a bureaucratic mix-up with her new job, Pat is currently WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE.
We do not know what the total hospital bill will be for surgery, medication, and an extended stay of at least a week in the hospital. But without insurance it is sure to be in the tens of thousands of dollars. Add in Pat’s lost income for the extent of her convalescence, and the cost of medication and follow-up care, and the math is very serious indeed.
The final piece of the puzzle is that once Pat is finally back home again, she will need a LOT of help. Unfortunately, due to his disabilities, her husband Mike is not able to provide the full level of care that she needs on his own, so their daughter Kate will take unpaid time off from her job in Brooklyn to help take care of Pat here in Massachusetts. Since Kate also lives paycheck to paycheck, she will need our help with bills as well. We can come together to help fund her unpaid family medical leave time so that Kate is able to stay in Pittsfield and help Pat make a full recovery.
So now you have the details, and you want to know how you can help!
As a collection of concerned family, friends, coworkers, acquaintances, community members, and Good Samaritans, we can successfully get an immediate cash flow started for the McAvoys to take some of the stress out of worrying about bills. And in that way we can keep Kate, Mike, and Pat focused on the most important matter at hand: helping Pat recover physically and mentally from this harrowing ordeal.
Here are some incredibly valuable ways that you can help the universe bring that awesome karma back around to Pat, and start bringing it right now - tonight!!
1 - If you are able to donate, that would be AMAZING. Our goal of $50,000 is definitely not off the mark - sadly I fear it may be an underestimate of the total damage. So any amount that can be spared will be EXTREMELY gratefully accepted by the family and will be alotted towards medical expenses, bills for both households (Kate’s and Pat's/Mike's), and groceries. So please don’t be intimidated by the figure in the goal...even $10 can go a LONG way when we’re talking about putting food on the table.
2 - Not everyone has even $10 to spare, and that is completely understandable. If you are able to take a moment and share this story with your circles, maybe you’ll reach someone who is in a position to donate! The power of the internet and social media is not to be underestimated. Your five-minute share can be invaluable to this campaign! Bonus points if you include a personal touch - tell a bit about how you know Pat and why helping take care of her is important to you. Not everyone who donates will know her personally, but if they know she means a lot to YOU it may make all of the difference!
3 - Keep Pat in your thoughts and prayers, please! Your positive energy is felt.
On behalf of Pat and her family, thank you for taking the time to read this story.
For those who don’t know Pat, she is the glue that holds her little family together; her husband Mike, their daughter Kate, and their dog Sadie all revolve around Pat like the sun. Her income was the sole income for her household. Pat and Mike have always lived paycheck to paycheck, and now Pat is unable to work for that paycheck because she has been blindsided by a near-death experience that has left her very weak and scared.
Here are the details: Pat had some digestive blockage which led to a bowel perforation when treated with laxatives. Her PCP prescribed her a heavy-duty laxative [which we found out later probably would have killed her] and told her to come back in a month. The next night (Thursday, April 16), she was having emergency surgery to save her life, as she was nearly septic from the internal injury.
Thankfully, she survived the procedure, but the damage was so bad that the surgical repair was very invasive and will involve a long road to recovery. After almost two days in the ICU, Pat has been moved to a recovery room and has finally been able to have some water today (Sunday, April 19).
Unfortunately, as she becomes more coherent and starts to realize the situation she is in, Pat is now susceptible to the panic of wondering how to pay for all of this, or indeed, how to pay her next bill. The story gets worse, because due to a bureaucratic mix-up with her new job, Pat is currently WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE.
We do not know what the total hospital bill will be for surgery, medication, and an extended stay of at least a week in the hospital. But without insurance it is sure to be in the tens of thousands of dollars. Add in Pat’s lost income for the extent of her convalescence, and the cost of medication and follow-up care, and the math is very serious indeed.
The final piece of the puzzle is that once Pat is finally back home again, she will need a LOT of help. Unfortunately, due to his disabilities, her husband Mike is not able to provide the full level of care that she needs on his own, so their daughter Kate will take unpaid time off from her job in Brooklyn to help take care of Pat here in Massachusetts. Since Kate also lives paycheck to paycheck, she will need our help with bills as well. We can come together to help fund her unpaid family medical leave time so that Kate is able to stay in Pittsfield and help Pat make a full recovery.
So now you have the details, and you want to know how you can help!
As a collection of concerned family, friends, coworkers, acquaintances, community members, and Good Samaritans, we can successfully get an immediate cash flow started for the McAvoys to take some of the stress out of worrying about bills. And in that way we can keep Kate, Mike, and Pat focused on the most important matter at hand: helping Pat recover physically and mentally from this harrowing ordeal.
Here are some incredibly valuable ways that you can help the universe bring that awesome karma back around to Pat, and start bringing it right now - tonight!!
1 - If you are able to donate, that would be AMAZING. Our goal of $50,000 is definitely not off the mark - sadly I fear it may be an underestimate of the total damage. So any amount that can be spared will be EXTREMELY gratefully accepted by the family and will be alotted towards medical expenses, bills for both households (Kate’s and Pat's/Mike's), and groceries. So please don’t be intimidated by the figure in the goal...even $10 can go a LONG way when we’re talking about putting food on the table.
2 - Not everyone has even $10 to spare, and that is completely understandable. If you are able to take a moment and share this story with your circles, maybe you’ll reach someone who is in a position to donate! The power of the internet and social media is not to be underestimated. Your five-minute share can be invaluable to this campaign! Bonus points if you include a personal touch - tell a bit about how you know Pat and why helping take care of her is important to you. Not everyone who donates will know her personally, but if they know she means a lot to YOU it may make all of the difference!
3 - Keep Pat in your thoughts and prayers, please! Your positive energy is felt.
On behalf of Pat and her family, thank you for taking the time to read this story.
Organizer and beneficiary
Sylvia Birns-Sprague
Organizer
Pittsfield, MA
Kate McAvoy
Beneficiary