Donate to Alleviate Medical Debt from Cancer Care

In August of 2022, I was diagnosed at 33 years old with papillary thyroid carcinoma, which resulted in a complete thyroidectomy and the removal of over 20 cancerous lymph nodes. I received radioactive iodine treatment to remove any remaining cancerous tissue in early 2023, followed by many additional diagnostic tests, biopsies, and blood work while my doctors tried to determine why my tumor marker levels were still detectable.

In May of 2024, I had a second central and lateral neck dissection that removed an additional cancerous lymph node that had been hiding behind my trachea and was therefore invisible to many of the diagnostic tools we had tried.

I am happy to say that as of writing this, my medical team has determined that based on my recent blood work and ultrasound results, my disease has finally stabilized after three years of medical treatment. I am grateful to have received the incredible care that I have these last few years; however, paying for this necessary care has unfortunately devastated me financially.

My credit score is the lowest it has ever been, I don't qualify for many of the grants applicable to my disease due to the income requirements, and I no longer qualify for the most basic of credit cards and consolidation loans due to high utilization on my credit cards after paying for these unexpected expenses.

Even with health insurance coverage, I have had to pay over $25,000 in out-of-pocket healthcare costs and will also need yearly blood work, ultrasounds, and daily thyroid hormone replacement medication going forward. Coupled with an poorly timed and enormous plumbing bill incurred during my treatment and I am officially in dire financial straits.

A sample of what I have had to pay in out of pocket coinsurance and deductible payments is outlined below for reference:

I am incredibly grateful for any donations received through this fundraiser. Any funds received will be used to pay off the following:

A donation in any amount will help me alleviate the financial burden and stress resulting from paying out of pocket for my thyroid cancer treatment and assist me in rebuilding my credit so that I may qualify for a low interest consolidation loan to pay off the remainder of my debt.

If you are unable to contribute monetarily, please consider sharing this fundraiser with others to help support me in my goal. September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness month and your post may help bring awareness to this disease and help someone else get the care they may not know they need. If thyroid cancer is detected early, it is highly treatable and the five year survival rate is over 98%.

Thank you so much for your consideration.

To learn more about Thyroid Cancer, please visit thyca.org and consider attending their free virtual and in person conference that will be help September 26, 2025, through September 28, 2025.