Let's help Calie Ramone: Pizza Queen of Chicago

If you’re reading this then you probably know Calie. If you know Calie then you know that she is welcoming, gives a damn about EVERYONE, and laughs louder than a jet engine. This past year Calie was served a raw deal and diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Of course she is rolling with the punches and is relieved to at least know what she’s up against - but the journey to diagnosis was rocky and the debt that came with it (even though she’s insured) is quite possibly more presently stressful than the diagnosis itself.

We all know our health system is absurd. A system where a person (even if they are insured) finding out they have a life-altering condition is overshadowed by the cost of being diagnosed. A debt so deep that you get stressed wondering how you’ll ever financially recover as your doctors tell you to avoid stress to keep your MS under control.

Calie experienced sudden vision loss in February 2021 and went to the ER on her lunch break. Expecting to be back in a few hours with maybe a little peace of mind - she was instead admitted to the hospital for a total of 5 days. Crazy amounts of steroids slowly brought back her vision, but after several MRIs identified lesions in her brain Calie was unfortunately diagnosed with MS. As the months continued, she started treatment but recently found out that it was not working. She is now on her way to starting a new treatment this fall!

Despite having been to that same hospital before with no issue - Calie’s insurance denied coverage for this visit leaving her on the hook for what ended up being a $40,000 stay. Thankfully after countless calls, transfers, and jumping through hoops her insurance company did agree to cover some of the claim, but Calie still faces significant medical bills as her out-of-pocket responsibility. We are raising money for Calie’s out-of-pocket maximum which is $2,000.

Calie absolutely hates the idea of putting herself at the center of a fundraiser. She knows how hard things have been for everyone this past year and a half and it took a lot of coaxing to get her to let us rally for support. We’re certain she’d do the same for anyone she knows. We want to support Calie and help alleviate some of the stress from her out-of-pocket medical expenses so she can focus on her health and be the true Pizza Queen that she is!