Help William:A Dedicated Teacher Coach Overcome Medical Debt

Hello everyone,

My name is William Trujillo Jr, and I’m a father, husband, and teacher/coach. For the past 11 years I have been teaching and coaching at Socorro High School, and it has been a truly rewarding experience. Inspiring young minds, watching students and athletes grow and discover their potential, and creating positive relationships and environments has brought me more joy than I could ever express.

However, these past few months have been incredibly challenging. In December of 2024 I was suffering from severe abdominal pain and had lost a lot of weight which landed me in the ER. I was diagnosed with mesenteric panniculitis and was told I also had two lesions on my liver. This trip to the ER landed me an out of pocket cost of $4,108.86. This would be the first of several medical charges and since my insurance deductible reset in January of this year I faced high out of pocket costs. I followed up with my primary care doctor because of new symptoms I started having which were headache, weakness, dizziness, and brief periods of vision loss in my right eye. Blood tests showed high levels of red blood cells, hemoglobin, and hematocrit. He referred me to see a hematologist who specializes in oncology, an ophthalmologist, as well as my gastroenterologist to follow up on the lesions found on my liver. This lead to several appointments with these specialists along with multiple CT scans with and without contrast, multiple MRI scans with and without contrast, a bone marrow biopsy, and several blood tests all of which added to my medical debt. Additionally, I exhausted all of my state and local days and had to go on intermittent FMLA. This allowed me to take the days I needed for appointments and diagnostic procedures however since all my state and local days had been used each absence resulted in a deduction to my monthly checks. All of this has culminated into the tough financial hardship I find myself in currently.

I have accumulated significant medical bills that I simply cannot keep up with on my teacher’s salary. Even with insurance, the out of pocket costs have been overwhelming. Balancing recovery, teaching full-time, coaching two sports, and managing financial stress has been exhausting physically, emotionally, and mentally. I have already started selling personal belongings as well as my fish and aquariums to try and chip away at the debt. I’ve always prided myself on being independent and self-sufficient, but right now, I need help. I’m reaching out to my community, friends, family, former students, and anyone who believes in the impact an educator can have on a student’s life, to ask for support during this difficult time.

Every donation, no matter the size, will go directly toward paying off medical expenses and helping me stay afloat so I can continue doing what I love most: teaching / coaching and making a difference in my students’ lives.

If you’re unable to donate, sharing this with others would mean the world to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness, generosity, and support.

With tremendous gratitude,

William Trujillo Jr.