Cataract Surgery for Laurie

Hello everyone!  My wife Angie and I are trying to raise money for a special person, the very tall red head Laurie Lewis, who is extremely active in carrying the message of recovery to others and has over 29 years of sobriety. Laurie is also the one responsible for the Christmas tree as well as all the paper snowflakes that were hanging from the ceiling of our meeting room.

Laurie has cataracts in both eyes. This is having a devastating impact upon her life. She is facing homelessness all because she has been unable to retain a job in her profession as a medical billing clerk which requires her to be able to see the computer screen clearly. Even the simple task of threading a needle so she can accomplish sewing and stitching projects in hopes of earning a few dollars has become an extremely time-consuming exercise.

Unfortunately, Laurie doesn’t have any insurance coverage or funds to pay for her needed eye surgery. She attempted to get help by applying to Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) but was informed she must apply for, and be declined by, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits prior to applying to AHCCCS.  While she did apply for SSI from Social Security, she has no idea as to when she will receive a response since SSI applications are not being processed due to the government shutdown. Unfortunately, all this applying, rejection and reapplying to these organizations takes time and Laurie will most likely be homeless before a conclusion is reached. We are reaching out on her behalf and ask that you join us in helping cover the cost of the eye surgery she so desperately needs by donating. Any donations received outside of this GoFundMe, such as cash or personal checks, will be added to the campaign and be displayed as an “offline donation” so it gets deducted from our goal.  Since offline donations aren’t processed through GoFundMe, they do not charge any fees for them.



Thanks, Ben & Angie Surber