
Help a Black mother pay for surgery cost
I am organizing this for my mother, Emilia. She just went through sudden & invasive back surgery (T.L.I.F). Not only is she under extreme pain, she now has to worry about 8 weeks of bills, surgery cost, and lost wages.
She will have to cover $7,500 of her surgery costs. Plus be out of work for 8 weeks, she has a some PTO & short term disability that will cover her for 4 weeks at 60% of what she is usually paid. My mom has already taken 3 weeks of furlough because of COVID so that no one from her job had to be completely fired, so this sudden surgery is a huge hit to our family as she is the bread winner for everyone and my Dad has had less work due to COVID.
I've watched my mom for years provide excellent and literally back breaking care to the elderly, houseless people, and teen mothers. She currently is a community health worker which is are under paid and over worked health organizers that work directly with marginalized communities. My mom was a teen mother herself, she has worked tirelessly to accomplish great things and raise me and my siblings in environments where we are safe and can thrive. She is only 40 years old and the doctors say she has the back of a 70yr old, I know this is only a manifestation of how hard these systems have forced her to work as Black Woman, especially in the health care field. I am asking that community shows up and out for my mother not because she's my mom but because if you say her name in the communities stated above, they know her. She has always been dedicated to being a leader in her community and a leader who moves with integrity. I set this amount at $20,000 to account for 7 weeks of lost wages, expense of surgery cost, unexpected expenses from taking care of other family members, and emergency funds for what may come up in these next 8 weeks for my mother. We actually don't know how successful this surgery will be and are unsure of complications that may arise after this.