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It’s hard to understand the medical horror stories that are sometimes mentioned by politicians or people who file for bankruptcy. Truth be told, I never paid much attention to it since I’m an ordinary citizen with a decent job, good friends and what I consider a pretty average middle class life. Unfortunately, just because you try to live your life with the mantra of “Be Kind”, doesn’t necessarily mean that life won’t take a random turn and present a scenario that will keep you up all night worrying about what the future holds.
On August 29, 2019, I was driving in my hometown on my way to an appointment when a car turned left in front of me at the last minute. The driver was ticketed with a “Careless Driving with Injury” citation and had to contend with some passenger side front fender damage. I wasn’t so lucky, I needed the Jaws of Life to cut me out of the car and I had severe injuries to my right leg and ankle, as well as other repercussions to the rest of my body. I have been through 3 surgeries with the hope of repairing the damage to my right leg and ankle. As a senior citizen, my recovery has been slow but I have worked with several therapists at inpatient rehab facilities over the last 8 months to overcome some of the painful challenges in hopes of walking and returning to the life I knew. I have not been to my home or work since August 29th, 2019.
Unfortunately, with health insurance you don’t know what you have until you need it. I have never experienced a long term medical issue so I was not prepared for the cost that goes with getting injured. Five months into recovery, my medical insurer determined that they would no longer pay for my rehabilitation since my recovery had been slow. I’m not sure what more I could do since my bones are just not healed. As a widow who lives alone, I was not in a situation to go home since I did not have weight bearing status and could not walk. Simple tasks, that I once took for granted, such as going to the bathroom and getting in and out of bed, were impossible to do alone.
My health insurance provider, that I thought would be there for me during this accident, seemed to have all the power to determine whether or not to support my healing efforts. Unfortunately, they decided not to support my further healing at that point. My surgeon did a peer to peer phone call with my health care provider to make sure they understood where I was and my progress in the hopes they would reconsider, but they did not. What type of world do we live in where insurance companies, rather than doctors, make medical care decisions? At that point in time, I was being told to either go home or find another facility. Going home was definitely not a safe choice for me because I live alone and would still have to have 24/7 care because I was immobile. At that point the focus had to be getting the help and care I needed to get stronger. I was forced to try and find another facility, which I couldn't afford, in order to be in an environment where I felt safe.
I have never asked for charity in my life and I am usually the giver rather than the beneficiary. It has taken me months to come to a point to be willing to ask for some assistance. Unfortunately, a curve in life, a small fraction of time, has put me in a situation with no good solution. I have been in a second rehab facility since January and am finally making some progress after 8 months. I am asking for your support to help me in my journey towards recovery since I continue to have mounting bills. It is my worst nightmare to be in this situation but I am hopeful and determined that in the near future I will somehow be able to return to my “normal self-sufficient” life. I know somewhere in this tragedy, goodness will arise. I’m not a celebrity or a star athlete but rather a normal person, who works as an administrative assistant trying the best I can. I hope to get back to that admin job soon. I still believe in the goodness of the world. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
On August 29, 2019, I was driving in my hometown on my way to an appointment when a car turned left in front of me at the last minute. The driver was ticketed with a “Careless Driving with Injury” citation and had to contend with some passenger side front fender damage. I wasn’t so lucky, I needed the Jaws of Life to cut me out of the car and I had severe injuries to my right leg and ankle, as well as other repercussions to the rest of my body. I have been through 3 surgeries with the hope of repairing the damage to my right leg and ankle. As a senior citizen, my recovery has been slow but I have worked with several therapists at inpatient rehab facilities over the last 8 months to overcome some of the painful challenges in hopes of walking and returning to the life I knew. I have not been to my home or work since August 29th, 2019.
Unfortunately, with health insurance you don’t know what you have until you need it. I have never experienced a long term medical issue so I was not prepared for the cost that goes with getting injured. Five months into recovery, my medical insurer determined that they would no longer pay for my rehabilitation since my recovery had been slow. I’m not sure what more I could do since my bones are just not healed. As a widow who lives alone, I was not in a situation to go home since I did not have weight bearing status and could not walk. Simple tasks, that I once took for granted, such as going to the bathroom and getting in and out of bed, were impossible to do alone.
My health insurance provider, that I thought would be there for me during this accident, seemed to have all the power to determine whether or not to support my healing efforts. Unfortunately, they decided not to support my further healing at that point. My surgeon did a peer to peer phone call with my health care provider to make sure they understood where I was and my progress in the hopes they would reconsider, but they did not. What type of world do we live in where insurance companies, rather than doctors, make medical care decisions? At that point in time, I was being told to either go home or find another facility. Going home was definitely not a safe choice for me because I live alone and would still have to have 24/7 care because I was immobile. At that point the focus had to be getting the help and care I needed to get stronger. I was forced to try and find another facility, which I couldn't afford, in order to be in an environment where I felt safe.
I have never asked for charity in my life and I am usually the giver rather than the beneficiary. It has taken me months to come to a point to be willing to ask for some assistance. Unfortunately, a curve in life, a small fraction of time, has put me in a situation with no good solution. I have been in a second rehab facility since January and am finally making some progress after 8 months. I am asking for your support to help me in my journey towards recovery since I continue to have mounting bills. It is my worst nightmare to be in this situation but I am hopeful and determined that in the near future I will somehow be able to return to my “normal self-sufficient” life. I know somewhere in this tragedy, goodness will arise. I’m not a celebrity or a star athlete but rather a normal person, who works as an administrative assistant trying the best I can. I hope to get back to that admin job soon. I still believe in the goodness of the world. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.