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Hi, I am Matt. Most people visiting this page will know that I am a golf professional at a great club in Northport MI. It has been 11 years there now and it has been a great stint for me in a beautiful spot on the Grand Traverse Bay. I have also been spending the winters in Scottsdale AZ so that I can follow the sun and stay in the golf business all year 'round.
The reason for this fundraiser is that last spring of 2018, while getting ready to head back to Michigan, I had an episode which prompted me to visit the emergency room one evening. I had noticed something not quite right while at work and knew I had to go in. A CT scan revealed a mass on my bladder and it was advised that it be removed immediately. I raised my concern that I was getting ready to head back to MI, but I ultimately decided (very wisely) to have it removed the next day there in Mesa.
My surgery went very well, I was in the hospital less than two days and the doctor was pleased with the procedure. Upon visiting him for a follow-up visit, he told me that the tissue they had removed was cancerous. It was not the news I wanted to hear, but I had to put it in God's hands. I headed back to Michigan with instructions to find a urologist upon my return for further evaluation and treatment.
The doctor I found in Traverse City went back in to take another slice of my bladder where the tumor had been located to see if any cancerous cells had migrated into the wall where the tumor had been located and, thank the Lord, it was clean! That is the great and most important news of this whole episode. I am now in a program of treatment that is designed to be proactive and preventative of any recurrence of this happening in the future. I am well, feel no effects of what I have been through and am happy and cancer-free.
The reason for bringing this before friends and family and any other person who may see this is that I have been hit hard with hospital and doctor bills as my insurance plan/ company has not been helping me pay any of these bills. For seven years I have had this policy. It was a good one at one time. Comfortable monthly premiums and a reasonable $2,500 deductible. Unfortunately, due to the so-called Affordable Care Act, my premiums and deductible have been raised every year by leaps and bounds. It has been tough keeping up with those increases, but I have been able to.
When I finally had a serious claim such as this one, I was very dismayed at the response I have gotten from my insurance carrier. Because I was in Arizona at the time of the initial emergency and therefore considered 'out of network, my deductible was doubled to $13,000, which was right about what my hospital and doctor bills amounted to out there. When I got back to Michigan for further treatment, what I thought was an ongoing claim was now being treated anew because I was back 'in network' and the deductible started all over again. Consequently, most every bill I have received (nearly $20,000) has not been paid by insurance. There is something about this that just seems very wrong. I am doing my best to stay current on all my bills, but having about seven new monthly payments dropped into my lap so suddenly has been tough to keep up on.
I don't like asking for help so much. I would like to handle things like this on my own, but I do know there are people out there who would be glad to help even a little and frankly, I could use it. I cannot express the gratitude I would have.
The great part of this is that there is no cancer in my bladder and I thank God so much for that. If anyone feels led or finds this story compelling enough to contribute anything, I would sure appreciate it. I am still going to stay in communication with my insurance carrier and try to convince them to step up and reevaluate their decision, but ultimately, I have to be responsible for this and do my best to get through all these bills.
Thank you all for looking and hearing my story. All is otherwise truly well. Any consideration I get from this will be a great blessing. God bless you all.
Matt Sayad
The reason for this fundraiser is that last spring of 2018, while getting ready to head back to Michigan, I had an episode which prompted me to visit the emergency room one evening. I had noticed something not quite right while at work and knew I had to go in. A CT scan revealed a mass on my bladder and it was advised that it be removed immediately. I raised my concern that I was getting ready to head back to MI, but I ultimately decided (very wisely) to have it removed the next day there in Mesa.
My surgery went very well, I was in the hospital less than two days and the doctor was pleased with the procedure. Upon visiting him for a follow-up visit, he told me that the tissue they had removed was cancerous. It was not the news I wanted to hear, but I had to put it in God's hands. I headed back to Michigan with instructions to find a urologist upon my return for further evaluation and treatment.
The doctor I found in Traverse City went back in to take another slice of my bladder where the tumor had been located to see if any cancerous cells had migrated into the wall where the tumor had been located and, thank the Lord, it was clean! That is the great and most important news of this whole episode. I am now in a program of treatment that is designed to be proactive and preventative of any recurrence of this happening in the future. I am well, feel no effects of what I have been through and am happy and cancer-free.
The reason for bringing this before friends and family and any other person who may see this is that I have been hit hard with hospital and doctor bills as my insurance plan/ company has not been helping me pay any of these bills. For seven years I have had this policy. It was a good one at one time. Comfortable monthly premiums and a reasonable $2,500 deductible. Unfortunately, due to the so-called Affordable Care Act, my premiums and deductible have been raised every year by leaps and bounds. It has been tough keeping up with those increases, but I have been able to.
When I finally had a serious claim such as this one, I was very dismayed at the response I have gotten from my insurance carrier. Because I was in Arizona at the time of the initial emergency and therefore considered 'out of network, my deductible was doubled to $13,000, which was right about what my hospital and doctor bills amounted to out there. When I got back to Michigan for further treatment, what I thought was an ongoing claim was now being treated anew because I was back 'in network' and the deductible started all over again. Consequently, most every bill I have received (nearly $20,000) has not been paid by insurance. There is something about this that just seems very wrong. I am doing my best to stay current on all my bills, but having about seven new monthly payments dropped into my lap so suddenly has been tough to keep up on.
I don't like asking for help so much. I would like to handle things like this on my own, but I do know there are people out there who would be glad to help even a little and frankly, I could use it. I cannot express the gratitude I would have.
The great part of this is that there is no cancer in my bladder and I thank God so much for that. If anyone feels led or finds this story compelling enough to contribute anything, I would sure appreciate it. I am still going to stay in communication with my insurance carrier and try to convince them to step up and reevaluate their decision, but ultimately, I have to be responsible for this and do my best to get through all these bills.
Thank you all for looking and hearing my story. All is otherwise truly well. Any consideration I get from this will be a great blessing. God bless you all.
Matt Sayad