Dear Family and Friends,

Thank you for constantly supporting me and those close to me with compassion, grace, generosity, and unconditional love. Your blessings have healed more than you may ever know. I’m so very, very grateful. Once again, I’m humbly requesting that you please find it in your heart to bless someone incredibly dear to me, in any small way available to you, as she fights for her life through sober recovery. As you read this, please know that I’d do the same for all of you and that Kristie Ann authorized us to share her story.

Our friend Kristie Ann developed alcoholism in response to some very long-term, beyond-horrific circumstances when she didn’t know any other way to cope. It’s happened to a lot of us or to those we love. Kristie Ann’s since acknowledged that she needs help but she wasn’t approved for the in-patient program that her healthcare system would pay for. To save her own life, she went out-of-network to detox and for the first part of her sober recovery programming until, through relentlessly fighting for her life, she was approved for admission to her healthcare system’s in-patient program (to which she was directly transferred to from an out-of-network facility). Payment is due to the out-of-network facility that supported Kristie Ann’s brave, life-saving choice. May I count on you to donate a small amount to help pay for Kristie Ann’s out-of-network care, please? Thank you so very much.

Kristie Ann’s Story:

Some of you may know that Kristie Ann is chosen family. Melissa and I met her over twenty years ago through a community support group with a fishing problem: Bloody Decks. Just before we became acquainted, a debilitating and relentless illness that had been misdiagnosed for years forced Kristie Ann to retire way too early from a career she loved and through which she saved uncountable lives - nursing. Although Kristie Ann had always given everything to each of her patients, their families, her team members, and the community, the medical care that was available to her took far too much for far too long from this beautiful and generous woman. The standard of care available to Kristie Ann shifted a diagnosable, treatable, curable illness into decades of failing health, toxic medications whose side effects hastened decline, over thirty trips to the ER, and myriad procedures (including a hysterectomy before she could have children of her own) and hospital stays that were more like medical professionals playing ‘symptom whack-a-mole’ than anything resembling healing.

Kristie Ann’s health had taken such a toll that a few years ago when she tripped over her beloved dogs (while still hostage to the healthcare system that ravaged her), what would have been a routine knee replacement and physical therapy for most of us, resulted in around twenty-five unsuccessful surgeries for her. The tragic result was the amputation of Kristie’s leg. Although she soldiered through physical therapy and her home was adapted to live with a walker and prosthetic, Kristie Ann didn’t receive adequate psychological care for the loss of her leg or for the decades-long hellish processes that led to the amputation. She withdrew and rarely got out. Her family didn’t receive guidance on how to support her through this massive transition, either. Although Kristie Ann did her best to put on a happy face for social media, she was crumbling. Kristie Ann began abusing alcohol to numb out from a set of circumstances that many of us would be unable to survive. After witnessing the outcomes of her addiction first-hand (which included seizures and a scary trip to the ER), Melisa and I agreed that Kristie Ann had become an alcoholic and that she needed care immediately. Kristie Ann wasn’t on board yet and began the outpatient treatment program that the healthcare system offered her and through which Kristie Ann continued drinking.

On March 18, 2023, desperate to live, Kristie Ann finally accepted that she needed an in-patient rehab facility program for alcohol addiction. Although that meant going out of network (which her insurance would not cover), Kristie Ann reached out to a local women’s in-patient facility that picked her up that night to begin detoxing. The program was great; the facility layout didn’t support Kristie’s needs. So, she directly transferred to another terrific in-patient facility where she completed detoxing and began recovery programming. This facility was also out-of-network. While Kristie was there, she committed to the program while relentlessly escalating through her healthcare system to be admitted to their in-network, in-patient addiction rehab program. After two weeks of sobriety support through out-of-network programming, Kristie Ann was finally admitted to her healthcare system’s in-patient program facility where she’s maintaining her sobriety and commitment to her recovery.

The bills are due from the out-of-network programs that helped save Kristie Ann’s life. Any amount will help.

Thank you.