Hello, my name is Nathasha, and I am starting this fund for my mother, Joycelyn. On June 24th, she experienced a heart attack at home and rushed to the hospital, where doctors later discovered she also had pneumonia. Since the hospital could not perform the necessary procedure for her heart, they airlifted her to Florida on June 25th. We joined her in Florida shortly after, on June 26th, and have remained by her side at the hospital since.

Joycelyn underwent a successful procedure to place several stents in her heart. However, the heart attack caused complications with her other organs, and the pneumonia required intubation multiple times. The medical staff eventually decided that a tracheostomy would be the best option, and she is currently on a ventilator.

This situation took us by surprise; she showed no signs of illness and drove herself to and from work just the day before. Although she is now more stable and out of the ICU, she remains on the ventilator. The medical team recommends transferring her to a Long-Term Acute Care Hospital (LTACH) that specializes in ventilator care, physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), and other essential support for her recovery.

We fully support this recommendation and are committed to being there for my mother in the long term. However, we do not live in Florida and have incurred significant costs for hotel stays and rental cars since we arrived. I live in Maryland, and we want to transfer my mother there to continue her care. This option will be more cost-effective and more convenient for our family, as she has an established network of doctors in that area. Unfortunately, the insurance company has denied coverage for the air ambulance needed for her transport since she cannot fly commercially.

Typically, insurance covers air ambulance transportation only in cases of medical necessity or if the required services cannot be provided at the current location. Even then, insurance usually covers transport only to the nearest facility that can provide the necessary care. We would need separate air or travel insurance to allow transport to a specific location.

Without coverage from the insurance company, the air ambulance transport could exceed $25,000 out of pocket, according to a quote from a third-party air ambulance company. We are reaching out to raise funds to help facilitate my mother's transfer to Maryland. We will use all funds raised solely for the air ambulance transportation, as her current insurance covers other medical expenses.

Thank you for your support.