For anyone that knows Brittany Merck closely, we have watched her dwindle before our eyes over the past 8 months or longer. Her stomach no longer digests food like yours or mine. Anything she eats, it's only a matter of time and she gets sick and expels the food, rather than digesting normally. She has not been able to eat normally for 8 months or longer. This has caused massive amounts of unhealthy weight loss, vitamin deficiencies, constant pain, and overall just a lower quality of life. Her entire life has been turned upside down because of this diagnosis. Her condition is called Gastroparesis or delayed gastric emptying. It is a condition where damaged nerves and muscles in the stomach don't move food through the digestive tract properly. It is usually a lifelong condition.

After dozens of doctor visits, tests, and medications, it finally led to an outcome of a needed surgery called Gastric Stimulator or Pacemaker Surgery. Basically, similar to a heart pacemaker, a pacemaker will be placed in her stomach to shock it into the digestion process when not working properly. There is only one doctor in the state of South Carolina that can perform this surgery. The surgery is not a cure for Brittany's condition, but has been shown to improve quality of life and help minimize symptoms. If Brittany ever wants to take control of her life back, she needs this surgery. Without it, she will continue to experience massive amounts of weight loss, nutrition issues, and daily pain. This is no way to live.

Because it is not a cure for her condition and only symptom-driven, Brittany's insurance has denied her claim. They are saying that she cannot have the surgery unless she pays the out of pocket cost of $44,635.50 and must have a down payment of $9,000 before her scheduled surgery on October 9, 2023. If she cannot come up with this downpayment, they will cancel her surgery for the second time. This is an obscene amount of money for a surgery that could literally change Brittany's life. Please if you know Brittany or not consider helping out with this cause. Her life depends on it.