Emily’s Medical Expenses
Donation protected
Hi Friends,
You may already be aware that our beautiful friend, Emily Rose Gibbons, entered Avalon Hills, a Treatment Facility for Young Women with Eating Disorders, on May 8th. Had she not, she would now be dead.
By the time Emily was ready to enter in-patient treatment, it was a dire situation. She was filled with self-hatred and self-loathing and was trying not to “take up space.”
With no time to spare, her aging aunt and uncle took out a third mortgage on their little house to pay for her treatment, and they are fast running out of resources. The total out-of-pocket to date is $68,990, a huge amount of money for people whose household income is $35,000 a year. Insurance coverage has been minimal, and benefits have been approved only through July 30th. The cost per day is $1,050, insurance covers $214 . For example, the month of August will cost $32,550, if it's prepaid. If not, it will cost $35,650.
Before her Eating Disorder nearly killed her, Emily was on the Dean's List at Westminster College, worked with the battered women and children at the YWCA shelter; helped refugees establish their lives here in Salt Lake City; and found creative community service alternatives to jail for first time juvenile offenders through Salt Lake Peer Court. She is a very gifted writer who wants to use her talents to benefit those less fortunate and has an internship waiting for her at KUTV Channel Two News.
She was holding her own even after her beloved grandmother, her best friend, passed away last year. And then out of the blue, her father contacted her. This negative contact triggered unresolved trauma. She went rapidly downhill.
The rate of relapse is high among those who do not have a minimum of three to six months of intensive, in-patient treatment. Deaths from Eating Disorders occur at a rate twelve times higher than any other cause of death in young women, ages 15 to 24.
She is committed to staying "as long as it takes,” and is just now beginning to skim the surface of the trauma, abuse, chaos and neglect of her childhood. It is a very slow, difficult process. Her therapists say she is working hard, making positive changes and progressing well. We understand that there are a lot of chronic Eating Disorder cases. Emily is not one of them. She has had her Eating Disorder for less than a year and has said this treatment for her is "one and done." So we have to get this right.
We need your help to save Emily's life. Let's make it possible for her to get the treatment she needs to make a full recovery. Let's get her strong and healthy and back advocating for those who can't advocate for themselves. We’re doing everything we can to minimize the burden on Emily's aunt and uncle. Please help us spread the word to your network of friends, family, and colleagues. Every dollar helps.
Thank you!
You may already be aware that our beautiful friend, Emily Rose Gibbons, entered Avalon Hills, a Treatment Facility for Young Women with Eating Disorders, on May 8th. Had she not, she would now be dead.
By the time Emily was ready to enter in-patient treatment, it was a dire situation. She was filled with self-hatred and self-loathing and was trying not to “take up space.”
With no time to spare, her aging aunt and uncle took out a third mortgage on their little house to pay for her treatment, and they are fast running out of resources. The total out-of-pocket to date is $68,990, a huge amount of money for people whose household income is $35,000 a year. Insurance coverage has been minimal, and benefits have been approved only through July 30th. The cost per day is $1,050, insurance covers $214 . For example, the month of August will cost $32,550, if it's prepaid. If not, it will cost $35,650.
Before her Eating Disorder nearly killed her, Emily was on the Dean's List at Westminster College, worked with the battered women and children at the YWCA shelter; helped refugees establish their lives here in Salt Lake City; and found creative community service alternatives to jail for first time juvenile offenders through Salt Lake Peer Court. She is a very gifted writer who wants to use her talents to benefit those less fortunate and has an internship waiting for her at KUTV Channel Two News.
She was holding her own even after her beloved grandmother, her best friend, passed away last year. And then out of the blue, her father contacted her. This negative contact triggered unresolved trauma. She went rapidly downhill.
The rate of relapse is high among those who do not have a minimum of three to six months of intensive, in-patient treatment. Deaths from Eating Disorders occur at a rate twelve times higher than any other cause of death in young women, ages 15 to 24.
She is committed to staying "as long as it takes,” and is just now beginning to skim the surface of the trauma, abuse, chaos and neglect of her childhood. It is a very slow, difficult process. Her therapists say she is working hard, making positive changes and progressing well. We understand that there are a lot of chronic Eating Disorder cases. Emily is not one of them. She has had her Eating Disorder for less than a year and has said this treatment for her is "one and done." So we have to get this right.
We need your help to save Emily's life. Let's make it possible for her to get the treatment she needs to make a full recovery. Let's get her strong and healthy and back advocating for those who can't advocate for themselves. We’re doing everything we can to minimize the burden on Emily's aunt and uncle. Please help us spread the word to your network of friends, family, and colleagues. Every dollar helps.
Thank you!
Organizer and beneficiary
Laura Stika
Organizer
Draper, UT
Annie Van Alstyne
Beneficiary
