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PLEASE Help Joe and Maggie win their medical battles.
When they married twenty years ago, Maggie and Joe vowed to love and cherish each other for better or worse, through sickness and in health. Those vows have been put to the test an unbelievable number of times. They lost their first-born son to heart defects a day after he was born. Their second son was born with congenital heart defects that have required a lifetime of care. Two of their other children have had non-life threatening conditions not covered by insurance. The last several years have been especially difficult for the whole family because Joe, Maggie, and their eldest son have had to literally fight for their lives on multiple occasions. 2014, and so far 2015, have proven to be the most difficult, and they are at the breaking point medically, emotionally, and, financially, and are humbly asking for help.
Maggie: A former videographer and director of the children's ministry at her church, she was in a car accident in 2007 where her minivan was crushed between two trucks. In this accident she suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which at first, was overlooked due to other massive head to toe injuries. Complications from this TBI have included seizures, stroke-like episodes, excruciating headaches, and memory loss. She tried returning to work in late 2007, but daily work activities triggered the symptoms and complications listed above. Essentially, this has left Maggie housebound. She had been making improvements through extensive rehabilitation and therapies. She relearned to read, write, and fights every day for her medical recovery.
However, in 2014 she took a dramatic turn for the worse. New testing and medical consultations literally saved her life before Christmas 2014. The doctors discovered that the part of the brain controlling production and use of hormones in the body had also been affected by her TBI. Over time, the production of most hormones, but especially cortisol, a hormone essential for life, had slowed. Maggie's cortisol count was the lowest her doctor had ever seen. She now needs daily treatments and medications. The doctors are very hopeful that with the proper treatment over the next couple years she can regain a healthy, productive life. Maggie's dream is to one day return to work and volunteerism. Unfortunately, she has not been able to do all the follow-up visits and testing to track and treat her condition because so much of it is not covered by insurance.
Joe: An Air Force Veteran currently working as an IT professional. He is the sole breadwinner for the family of six since late 2007. In 2008, Joe was diagnosed with Stage 4 testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs. He had surgery and chemo at that time and worked from home as long as he could while going through chemo. Thankfully, the treatment was successful, and he has been in remission from his cancer for six years. Unfortunately, it took its toll on his immune system and he has battled other health issues: the lung disease Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis), pneumonia, and just last month he developed a life threatening staph infection on the back of his head and neck that required a week in the hospital followed by weeks of in-home IV antibiotics leaving thousands of uncovered medical bills. The stress of the financial situation has been very hard on Joe.
This loving couple has struggled on their own for years to pay for the co-pays of open heart surgery, chemotherapy, more than a dozen different doctors, and many emergency room and urgent care visits. Even with insurance the out of pocket expenses have been in the tens of thousands! The year 2014, and so far 2015, have proven to be the most difficult! Unexpected change to their insurance plan has added $12,000 of deductibles in the last nine months.
The treatments to repair the life-threatening complications recently discovered are not covered by insurance. Previous medical debt and new costs to save both Maggie and Joe leave them in a critical financial state.
Your prayers or good wishes, love and support are appreciated. This medical fundraiser is being sent out to friends and family and friends of them, too. Any financial gifts given are deeply appreciated! If you can’t afford to give, then please keep us in your thoughts and consider passing this on to one’s you love for their prayers or best wishes, too!
When they married twenty years ago, Maggie and Joe vowed to love and cherish each other for better or worse, through sickness and in health. Those vows have been put to the test an unbelievable number of times. They lost their first-born son to heart defects a day after he was born. Their second son was born with congenital heart defects that have required a lifetime of care. Two of their other children have had non-life threatening conditions not covered by insurance. The last several years have been especially difficult for the whole family because Joe, Maggie, and their eldest son have had to literally fight for their lives on multiple occasions. 2014, and so far 2015, have proven to be the most difficult, and they are at the breaking point medically, emotionally, and, financially, and are humbly asking for help.
Maggie: A former videographer and director of the children's ministry at her church, she was in a car accident in 2007 where her minivan was crushed between two trucks. In this accident she suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which at first, was overlooked due to other massive head to toe injuries. Complications from this TBI have included seizures, stroke-like episodes, excruciating headaches, and memory loss. She tried returning to work in late 2007, but daily work activities triggered the symptoms and complications listed above. Essentially, this has left Maggie housebound. She had been making improvements through extensive rehabilitation and therapies. She relearned to read, write, and fights every day for her medical recovery.
However, in 2014 she took a dramatic turn for the worse. New testing and medical consultations literally saved her life before Christmas 2014. The doctors discovered that the part of the brain controlling production and use of hormones in the body had also been affected by her TBI. Over time, the production of most hormones, but especially cortisol, a hormone essential for life, had slowed. Maggie's cortisol count was the lowest her doctor had ever seen. She now needs daily treatments and medications. The doctors are very hopeful that with the proper treatment over the next couple years she can regain a healthy, productive life. Maggie's dream is to one day return to work and volunteerism. Unfortunately, she has not been able to do all the follow-up visits and testing to track and treat her condition because so much of it is not covered by insurance.
Joe: An Air Force Veteran currently working as an IT professional. He is the sole breadwinner for the family of six since late 2007. In 2008, Joe was diagnosed with Stage 4 testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs. He had surgery and chemo at that time and worked from home as long as he could while going through chemo. Thankfully, the treatment was successful, and he has been in remission from his cancer for six years. Unfortunately, it took its toll on his immune system and he has battled other health issues: the lung disease Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis), pneumonia, and just last month he developed a life threatening staph infection on the back of his head and neck that required a week in the hospital followed by weeks of in-home IV antibiotics leaving thousands of uncovered medical bills. The stress of the financial situation has been very hard on Joe.
This loving couple has struggled on their own for years to pay for the co-pays of open heart surgery, chemotherapy, more than a dozen different doctors, and many emergency room and urgent care visits. Even with insurance the out of pocket expenses have been in the tens of thousands! The year 2014, and so far 2015, have proven to be the most difficult! Unexpected change to their insurance plan has added $12,000 of deductibles in the last nine months.
The treatments to repair the life-threatening complications recently discovered are not covered by insurance. Previous medical debt and new costs to save both Maggie and Joe leave them in a critical financial state.
Your prayers or good wishes, love and support are appreciated. This medical fundraiser is being sent out to friends and family and friends of them, too. Any financial gifts given are deeply appreciated! If you can’t afford to give, then please keep us in your thoughts and consider passing this on to one’s you love for their prayers or best wishes, too!