Medical Expenses for Mikie Studzinski

My Dad needs your help.

Mom passed away on Thursday, January 2, 2020. She died in the hospital, a place that had become sadly familiar for our family over the years.


Her health issues started more than 22 years ago, when she was diagnosed with bile duct cancer. They located the tiny tumor in the duct leading to the pancreas after she suddenly turned jaundice. Surgeons removed the tumor — along with a portion of her stomach, pancreas, gall bladder, and small intestine. She underwent the Whipple procedure — a complicated surgery with a significant recovery time. The five-year survival rate after a Whipple procedure is about 20 to 25 percent. Mom lived 22 years after this procedure. We are beyond grateful for the skill and technology that existed to save my Mom’s life then. They delivered a miracle. But it came with a price. She had good health insurance, but my parents still shouldered significant cost — one they could manage because they both worked. They dutifully paid off the medical bills, feeling so lucky she survived.

Over the years she had small complications related to the surgery, but in the Fall of 2017, in excruciating pain, she was rushed to the hospital. Her abdomen had swollen to make her appear eight months pregnant. She was full of infection and they had to operate immediately. When surgeons opened her up, they found that her colon had died. They had to remove the colon and other infected areas — performing another complicated surgery. Ultimately, the surgeons pulled a loop of small intestine through a cut in her abdomen — an ileostomy. She would need to wear a bag from now on. It was a grueling operation. They had to resuscitate her several times. They thought they were going to lose her. But thanks to great skill and perseverance, those surgeons saved her life — again. Yes, she had to wear a bag, but she considered this a small price to pay. This time she was on Medicare. There was a much bigger price. She was in ICU for eight days, hospital for three weeks, rehabilitation hospital for six weeks, and had a home health nurse off and on for the remainder of her life. The medical bills are astronomical. The cost of medical supplies alone (bags, medicine, ointments, etc) are shockingly pricey. What Medicare did not cover, my parents had to, but this time, now in their 70s, they are on a fixed income. My Dad has done his best to pay these bills using savings, credit, and even taking equity out of the house, but he has exhausted his resources. 

I know Dad is not alone. The United States has the highest over-all health-care costs in the developed world. A study in The American Journal of Medicine found that 42.4 per cent of the 9.5 million people diagnosed with cancer between 2000 and 2012 had depleted their assets within two years. 

The healthcare system in America is so broken.

I know there are many people struggling to pay their medical bills. It’s just unfair. And it feels hard to even make this plea because others are suffering, too. 

But this is how I see it: When someone dies, people are so incredibly kind. They feed you. They send beautiful flowers. They ask “What can I do to help?” And this request, to help my Dad with Mom's medical bill debt, is something that would really, really help. 


Mom and Dad celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2018. They had a beautiful life together, but not an easy one. They journeyed through life as a dedicated pair, weathering the storm of having a chronically ill child, losing that daughter, surviving cancer. He selflessly took care of her during her illnesses. He is a good man who worked very hard. The system has failed him. I want to try to make it right with your help. 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Love,
Kandy