Donate for Life-Changing Gastroparesis Surgery

My name is Matthew Young, and I have Gastroparesis, a rare stomach disease I’ve had since I was 16. Only about 4% of people in the world have it, and it essentially means my stomach is paralyzed. Whenever I eat or drink anything, it causes extreme pain—pain my doctor has even compared to childbirth. Unfortunately, my condition has progressed to the point where I need surgery to have any chance of a normal life. This surgery is incredibly rare—only 1% of that 4% of patients have undergone it. The cost is $15,000, and while my insurance covers $10,000, I’m left with a $5,000 co-pay. I can’t get a payment plan because of my existing medical bills, and to make things even more complicated, the surgery is so specialized that they have to fly in a doctor from the UK to perform it. I’ve started a GoFundMe to help cover the cost, and I have all the necessary medical documents to prove my situation. Plus, I can’t withdraw anything from the GoFundMe without a doctor’s authorization for the surgery. —I have to come up with the money as soon as possible. If I don’t have the surgery by June, I’ll be forced onto a liquid-only diet. If I eat solid food, it could literally kill me. At that point, I’d be deemed disabled and unable to work, and disability would only provide $250 a month—nowhere near enough to survive on. That’s the situation I’m in right now, and I’m doing everything I can to make this surgery happen. This is a incurable disease as well surgery can only help make it better.