Michael Whitner's Cancer Treatments
Donation protected
Hello,
My name is Michael Whitner (age 57) and I have recently been diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer that has travelled to my liver. Needless to say the diagnosis has been devastating to me and my family. Not to mention that the costs of treatments have decimated our personal finances. I am on full disability which reduced my income to 2/3rds of my overall salary. That's a 33.33% pay reduction.
I have been the sole provider for my family for 38 years and I have been so fortunate to do so. My eldest daughter I raised as a single father. My eldest daughter has given me 3 beautiful granddaughters that I hope to see grow to beautiful young ladies.
I remarried when my eldest daughter was 15. My wife and I have been married for 22 years and my wife gave me two more children. When we had our first child my wife and I discussed her staying home with the children until they were off to college. We knew that our decision would require personal sacrifices over the years but, we felt strongly that we wanted a more traditional family. Consequently my savings over the years has consisted of contributing the minimum amount to my 401k account to get the maximum employer match. Since I am not 59 I cannot access those funds without being penalized.
I am also an adult volunteer/leader for the Boy Scouts of America where I have served as a Den Leader and Cub Scout Pack Committee Chair for 5 years, then Scoutmaster of the local Boy Scout Troop for 8 years and after retiring from the Scoutmaster position I have moved into the Troop Committee Chair position for the last 3 years.
I find myself in a very uncomfortable financial position with several thousand in medical bills that I simply don't have the budget to pay. I don't know about others but, I didn't budget to pay my entire out-of-pocket health care costs for this year. When I budgeted for medical expenses this year I allotted $6000 ($4000 for family deductible and $2000 for other expenses) and in the past that has always been more than sufficient.
Then came my cancer diagnosis followed by all of the medical bills. My maximum out of pocket costs of my health care insurance is $13,700 which leaves $7,700 in unpaid medical bills plus another $2000 for services provided by contractors embedded in my in-network provider's facilities. Turns out these contractors not only had no affiliation with the hospital they also don't accept insurance. Even though I appealed to my health care insurance for relief they were unable to provide any financial assistance for the contractor's fees. These contractors looked like every other person in the hospital wearing scrubs and a hospital ID. No one had "CONTRACTOR" emblazoned on their clothing so how was I to know.
If you decide to donate know that 100% of your donations will be used to pay my outstanding medical bills. Next year's budget will include the entire $13,700 (with some major household cutbacks) so this is a one-time request.
My name is Michael Whitner (age 57) and I have recently been diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer that has travelled to my liver. Needless to say the diagnosis has been devastating to me and my family. Not to mention that the costs of treatments have decimated our personal finances. I am on full disability which reduced my income to 2/3rds of my overall salary. That's a 33.33% pay reduction.
I have been the sole provider for my family for 38 years and I have been so fortunate to do so. My eldest daughter I raised as a single father. My eldest daughter has given me 3 beautiful granddaughters that I hope to see grow to beautiful young ladies.
I remarried when my eldest daughter was 15. My wife and I have been married for 22 years and my wife gave me two more children. When we had our first child my wife and I discussed her staying home with the children until they were off to college. We knew that our decision would require personal sacrifices over the years but, we felt strongly that we wanted a more traditional family. Consequently my savings over the years has consisted of contributing the minimum amount to my 401k account to get the maximum employer match. Since I am not 59 I cannot access those funds without being penalized.
I am also an adult volunteer/leader for the Boy Scouts of America where I have served as a Den Leader and Cub Scout Pack Committee Chair for 5 years, then Scoutmaster of the local Boy Scout Troop for 8 years and after retiring from the Scoutmaster position I have moved into the Troop Committee Chair position for the last 3 years.
I find myself in a very uncomfortable financial position with several thousand in medical bills that I simply don't have the budget to pay. I don't know about others but, I didn't budget to pay my entire out-of-pocket health care costs for this year. When I budgeted for medical expenses this year I allotted $6000 ($4000 for family deductible and $2000 for other expenses) and in the past that has always been more than sufficient.
Then came my cancer diagnosis followed by all of the medical bills. My maximum out of pocket costs of my health care insurance is $13,700 which leaves $7,700 in unpaid medical bills plus another $2000 for services provided by contractors embedded in my in-network provider's facilities. Turns out these contractors not only had no affiliation with the hospital they also don't accept insurance. Even though I appealed to my health care insurance for relief they were unable to provide any financial assistance for the contractor's fees. These contractors looked like every other person in the hospital wearing scrubs and a hospital ID. No one had "CONTRACTOR" emblazoned on their clothing so how was I to know.
If you decide to donate know that 100% of your donations will be used to pay my outstanding medical bills. Next year's budget will include the entire $13,700 (with some major household cutbacks) so this is a one-time request.
Organizer
Michael Whitner
Organizer
Blissfield, MI