HELP MICHALE GABRIEL RECOVER AND HEAL

On December 15, Michale Gabriel, age 80, fell in her home in Costa Rica and suffered a severe fracture to her right femur. What followed has been a serious and ongoing medical crisis that has required emergency care, multiple surgeries, and extended hospitalization.

Michale is still hospitalized. She cannot stand or walk, and she will need months of recovery and full-time care. We are raising funds to help cover the medical and recovery costs that she cannot manage on her own.

WHAT HAPPENED

After her fall, Michale required emergency surgery that night to repair her femur with a permanent rod and screws. In the days that followed, she developed a pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in her lung), which required blood thinners to prevent a life-threatening complication.

At the same time, she began losing blood internally at the surgical site. The medication needed to treat the clot worsened the bleeding, causing a large and growing hematoma in her leg. Over the next 11 days, she required multiple blood transfusions, extensive diagnostic testing, and constant monitoring.

On December 26, she underwent a second emergency surgery to drain the hematoma and stop the bleeding.

She has now been hospitalized continuously since December 15. She remains unable to care for herself independently and is facing a long and uncertain recovery.

WHY INSURANCE HAS NOT COVERED THIS

Although Michale is a legal resident of Costa Rica and pays into the public healthcare system, the public hospital had no surgical availability for 6–8 days when she arrived. With a shattered femur and severe pain, waiting was not an option.

She was forced to seek immediate care at a private hospital.

Medicare does not cover medical care outside the United States. Her U.S.-based supplemental insurance may reimburse a small portion, but most expenses are out of pocket. Private insurance in Costa Rica was not available to her due to pre-existing bone density conditions.

As a result, the majority of her care is not covered by insurance.

CURRENT AND EXPECTED COSTS

Medical expenses already incurred:

• Emergency femur surgery

• Second emergency surgery to drain hematoma

• Over two weeks of hospitalization and intensive monitoring

• Four blood transfusions

• CT scans, imaging, and diagnostic procedures

• Emergency ambulance transport

• Specialist consultations (orthopedic, pulmonary, hematology)

Total medical costs so far: approximately $77,000

Ongoing recovery costs over the next 3–5 months include:

• 24/7 in-home nursing care

• Physical therapy and rehabilitation

• Medical equipment (hospital bed, walker, wheelchair)

• Ongoing treatment for pulmonary embolism

• Follow-up medical care and transportation

• Basic living expenses during complete loss of income

Estimated additional costs: approximately $53,000

Total estimated need: $130,000

Personal and family funds paid thus far: $30,000

Remaining shortfall: $100,000

WHO MICHALE IS

For more than 40 years, Michale Gabriel has worked as a professional storyteller, educator, and coach, helping individuals and communities use narrative to make meaning, foster connection, and heal.

She continues to teach and mentor others through her Story Wisdom Circles and related work. This injury has abruptly halted her ability to work and live independently.

At 80 years old, she is facing not only a medical crisis, but the financial and logistical reality of long-term recovery without a safety net.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

If you are able, please consider contributing to help cover Michale’s medical and recovery expenses. Any amount makes a meaningful difference.

Sharing this fundraiser with others who know Michale or value her work is also deeply appreciated.

Messages of support are welcome and will be shared with her as she recovers.

THE ROAD AHEAD

If no further complications arise, Michale may be released from the hospital in early January. She will then require months of intensive care, rehabilitation, and support to regain mobility and independence.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for helping in any way you can.