Help Jamie with Medical Expenses

What would you do if you’d worked hard all of your life, then, at 60, found yourself ill after several health set-backs, without a job, and with astronomical medical bills?

This is my friend James (Jamie) Curry's story.

Please take a minute to review it—Jamie will be blessed, regardless, just because you thought of him in kindness or in prayer for his recovery.

Jamie’s story is a journey into a healthcare nightmare...you have few options if you end up sick before the age of 65, before Social Security  and Medicare kick in.

He started 2018 with a full-time job and a decent salary with health benefits, working as a director for an assisted living facility.  

He greeted 2019 with NO job, NO health benefits, and staggering medical bills. How did this happen?

Jamie encountered a number of medical issues, ultimately landing him in the hospital for almost a month with double-pneumonia, diabetes, and heart issues.  

Even though he was on a medical leave from his job while recovering, it was an unpaid leave, and his employer decided not to make reasonable accommodations for his return to work, and replaced his position instead.  

Jamie still has ongoing  medical issues, making it difficult for him to find a full-time employer who will accommodate his situation.  

Why I want to help Jamie:

Jamie and I worked together several years ago at McKesson. We even earned our Master’s degree together, all while working our crazy full-time jobs (no easy task, I can assure you—it took us 6 years, but we did it!). The picture posted was a mini-reunion with some of our McKesson work team.  

If you know Jamie, he's no slacker—he’s worked hard all his life, starting his first job at 13, at his dad’s filling station. And he’s been working hard ever since then. 

Jamie has always been a person who pushed to improve himself and help others, making the world a better place through his compassionate heart and empathy for the human condition.    

Jamie has spent the last 20+ years working in healthcare with the sick and elderly, through his many years in hospice, assisted living, and nursing home care. It was a field he fell into after caring for his beloved father, seeing the trials and tribulations of all that goes on with elder care. Jamie saw a way to make a difference, and he did. 

Jamie was one of my angels when my mom became ill. He was one of the few people who truly understood what my mom and I were going through—to watch your beloved parent slowly decline, due to long-term illness and dementia, is not fun, nor easy.  

My mom loved Jamie for all of his attentive thoughtfulness—and he was my guiding light through a crazy time, helping me navigate through the world of elder health care. I know he’s helped countless of other families in this same way, which is why I’m reaching out to help him.     

I was shocked when I went to the hospital to visit Jamie in July. His health had declined significantly, and I knew it would be a long road to recovery for him.

As I was creating this GoFundMe account for Jamie, it made me sad that I even had to do this for him. This is America, one of the greatest countries in the world, yet we don’t have good systems in place to take care of hardworking people like Jamie, who get ill before retirement age.  

Jamie has been without income since July, 2018. He's used up all of his savings. He has applied for Social Security disability, but it could take many months. If you know anything about this process, it’s a nightmare. You can lose everything you’ve worked so hard for, before a disability decision is made. 

I am hopeful, because of sites like GoFundMe, which bring people together to do good things and help one another. If you’re able, I hope you’ll consider giving a donation to assist Jamie.  Any dollar amount you can afford is very much appreciated.  

What Jamie needs:

Financial assistance for the following:

Heart stint surgery  
  
Mortgage help to prevent home foreclosure

Various backlog of medical bills 

Basic living expenses 

Jamie has already applied for every type of assistance program that he qualifies for, yet it's not enough.

Thank you in advance for any help you can give our beloved friend!