Sandra Kresal With Medical Expenses

My Mom, Sandra, had two back surgeries in three days in January 2023 at Huntsville Hospital in Huntsville, Alabama to have an L4-L5 Metal Cage installed in her back and a spinal fusion. In May 2023, she had a further surgery to do a modification due to the cage shifting in her back post-operation. The result was, even after insurance, a bill amounting to approximately $2600. She set up a plan for monthly payments and has been paying them ever since to the The Orthopedic Center (TOC) who performed the operation.

On Monday August 21st, she received a letter from TOC. It demanded that she pay the remaining balance, totaling over $2000, to them within ten days. Calling them on the 22nd, she was told that due to a change in TOC policy, all patients carrying a balance were being required to pay immediately IN FULL. If they did not do so, they would be handed over to a collection agency. Further more, they would not see her beyond a scheduled appointment in early September despite her still being in recovery.

My Mom has been out of work for 16 months due to a knee replacement operation that proceeded the surgeries on her back, a total of five surgeries over that time frame. During that time she was first on short term and now long term disability, seeking SSDI due to doctors informing her she was unable to work. This news as come as a shock to her.

We're seeking to raise the funds to cover her TOC bill and allow her to continue with her recovery from these surgeries without worrying about the financial burden being laid upon her. We would appreciate anything you might donate towards helping us settle the claim before she is handed over to collections and can longer receive consolations from TOC.