Help Leah Fight Endometriosis

For nearly 4 years Leah has been experiencing painful and frightening symptoms, and has been misdiagnosed with IBS, and this unresolved illness has worsened. This pain continues to dramatically impact her quality of life today.

 

After Leah's Facebook post on January 25th, a group of her friends urged her to find and secure the treatment that she deserves. NO ONE, especially not Leah, should have to settle for mediocre care after all that she's been through - not just battling cancer TWICE, but the last four years of excrutiating pain.

 

Funds collected here will go directly to Leah in helping her pay (out-of-pocket) for a foremost surgeon and expert in endometriosis that Leah's insurance plan is denying coverage of. Only a handful of surgeons in the country have the specialization in the gold standard surgical removal endometriosis - wide excision surgery. This is the procedure Leah needs. Yet, insurance in-network policies typically only cover providers who perform an outdated procedure called ablation. Leah learned the hard way that insurance limitations are guiding women toward the wrong procedure, often resulting in several follow up surgeries and sometimes even worsened symptoms.

She is moving forward with this surgery even though all the funds are not immediately available because the level of her pain is at an intolerable level to function in her daily life. Her practitioner will use the most advanced and effective methods to remove lesions throughout her body, possibly in her bowels. Her surgery date is 2/22/22 at Pelvic Rehabilitation Medicine at the Jersey City Medical Center. 

 

Two surgeons will be performing together on Leah's procedure due to its complexity, but neither are "in network" with her insurance coverage.  The portion of the surgery that insurance will not cover is $15,000, and we're trying to support this in any way we can. After all that Leah has been through, including the fear and isolation of having to demand the medical treatment she deserves, we are trying to ease this burden for her.

 

Thank you in advance for considering helping our friend, Leah.

 

 

Leah's post from 1/25/2022:

I need just a little prayer if you’ve got one to spare today. I have never known physical pain like this, and I’m finding women’s health issues are among the hardest to have adequately addressed. I learned my upcoming surgery (already postponed) is set to be using a technique that does not wield the best results. I’m desperately seeking another provider who follows the endometriosis research (perhaps sparing me a hysterectomy). Many practitioners are using outdated protocol and medical standards are a muddled mess. Women like me must wander through the maze to research on our own. I sometimes try to put on my best face for the world, but I am going to admit today I feel lost, scared and overwhelmed.