Help Kiya and Soumanou Overcome Medical Debt

I'm Kea, the mom of a hardworking, intelligent young woman, Kiya, and mom-in-law of her also brilliant, hardworking, and loving husband, Soumanou. As a couple married for only a couple of years, they've been establishing their work and home life and making plans for a future full of worth and joy. As a recent college graduate, Kiya has been seeking a fulfilling entry job in Public Health. Soumanou, with a Masters degree, began his job in 2024.

One night, Soumanou woke up with a fever and difficulty breathing. He felt as if his throat was closing. He was breaking out into a rash. After hours in the emergency room, Soumanou and Kiya were discharged, as his symptoms seemed to have abated.

Within hours, however, the symptoms had returned, and his body was wracked with pain.

Kiya got him to a different hospital several hours away, near enough to Soumanou's relatives who might be able to help. What they never expected was for Soumanou to have to stay in the hospital for a month! His fever remained nearly around the clock at 103 degrees. His joints were painful and swollen. He could barely eat. He was losing weight.

Specialists were called in, and tests were done. Several possible diagnoses were considered. The doctors finally settled on one.

They diagnosed Soumanou with an extremely rare disease, "Adult Still's Disease." This illness has no known cure and must be treated with a daily injection for the lifetime of the sick person. If Soumanou misses any injections, his life is in danger, as his symptoms will return. No one can live with a constant high fever.

Soumanou and Kiya haven't yet received all the bills, but to date, they've received these:

Fortunately, they received a grant to pay for one year of the injection. It costs about $5,000/month and must be shipped monthly in ice packs. Each year, they must reapply for the grant, so they don't know for how long they will be free of this one expense.

The emergency room refused to waive its charges. They claim it's because Soumanou has a job.

What about his job? He was able to return to it (they missed him!), but he lost his accumulated leave time and so was on unpaid leave for about 6 weeks (having had to stay home for 2 weeks after being released from the hospital). That's a loss of income.

Kiya lost her job while having to be out of town with Soumanou to help care for him. Being a recent graduate, she also has several thousand dollars of educational loans to begin repaying and she's on the hunt for work.

They have not yet received all the bills from the medical specialists who bill separately from the hospital. They expect to receive some large bills from these doctors in the near future.

You might be wondering about health insurance. It's complicated. In brief, Soumanou was in a window of time between two periods of insurance coverage. He was healthy and more fit than most young men of his age. He exercised all the time, played tennis, coached soccer, and ate a good, nutritious diet. But he was not covered by insurance when he became ill.

Soumanou and Kiya took some convincing to allow me to create this GoFundMe. They don't like asking for help and would rather be giving to others than taking for themselves. But their need is so great, they need help. How can they plan their future with perhaps a home and children with bills totaling over 1/2 million dollars? As much as our families wish to help, we're not able to wipe out, or even noticeably touch, this kind of debt.

Kiya's friends know how she has always selflessly volunteered to help others, especially unhoused persons and women in difficulty. As her mom, I can vouch for that, not because I love her (which I do!) but because I've seen and experienced her generosity and compassion. It comes from her heart. Soumanou is also gracious and kind and would go out of his way to offer aid to someone in need.

What can we do to help them and give them hope?

What can you do? What will you do? I hope that, even if you can give only a small amount, you will generously do that. I'm already grateful for your kindness!

PS Kiya, born in Ethiopia, and Soumanou, born in Bénin, come from places where the community comes together to help those in need. It's a tradition. It's their culture. I don't want to believe that we've lost that tradition in this modern, western society. I want to believe we still care and put our money where our heart is.