Help Joseph Ataata Pay for Brain Surgery

In early 2020, at the start of the covid-19 pandemic, my boyfriend Joseph started to get very sick. He was having massive headaches behind his left eye and couldn’t stay awake for more than about 20 minutes without  being exhausted. He was in so much pain and full of congestion. We got him some medicine from the store, hoping this was just a sinus infection or a very bad cold. However, as time went on, his symptoms just seemed to worsen.  Soon he was unable to wake up to get to work for the day.

At this point we knew he needed to seek medical help. We went to our local Insta-care where they diagnosed it as “seasonal allergies” and sent him home with an allergy prescription. Though he was taking the medications, instead of getting better, his symptoms continued to get worse.

Since the pains were behind his left eye, we then decided to seek the help and advice of an eye doctor. The Doctor saw something back behind his eye and thought that he might have eye shingles. As a result, Joseph was sent to the Emergency Room at the hospital and an MRI was ordered. During this time, they continued with the original eye shingles diagnosis and he was prescribed a few medications to treat it.

After a week had passed, the eye doctor wanted him to return for a follow up appointment to see if there had been any progress or an improvement. Unfortunately, at this point Joseph had lost control of his left eye and it was starting to close on its own. The Doctor also noticed that something was still there behind the eye. 

Joseph was sent straight back to the ER and admitted into the hospital because it was urgent that he saw a neurosurgeon. After examining the MRI, the neurosurgeon  said that there was a growth on his third cranial nerve. This is the nerve which allows you to control the eye. Joseph was told that he needed to come back for brain surgery a week from that day. 

Because of the COVID regulations at that time, Joseph was not allowed to have anyone go in with him to the hospital or stay with him while he recovered overnight in the ICU and then in a regular room. Thankfully, the surgeon says that the surgery was a success and Joseph is slowly but surely making a recovery with his eye and the use of it.

A few months prior to all of this, he came off of his parents’ insurance and was in the midst of getting insured. Brain surgery was definitely not in his or our plans for 2020.  The transitioning insurance company refused to pay due to it being a “pre-existing” condition. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down the industry where Joseph works. This and the additional 4-5 months surrounding his illness and recovery when he could not work, has brought a struggle for him to find the means for all of his medical bills. 

 With COVID going on, I understand that he is not the only one going through tough times right now. If anyone is able to help in any way, that would be more than appreciated.