Support Mary Kay's Healing Process

This is Mary Kay Crowder, a 78-year-old senior. I live alone, and no family (not even my daughter) to help me. I start my story first by saying I think the saddest, most overwhelming, "scary" medical experience I have ever had in the past two months is that I can no longer afford to pay for my health care. I had to recently cancel my post-neuroendocrine cancer follow-up PET Scan, and also a much needed overdue Endoscopy and Colonoscopy to evaluate again my gastroparesis and vagus nerve damage because it got so severe since chemo and radiation. I no longer have money to pay for expensive medical copays. All of the extra money I had in 2023 and 2024 was spent on expensive copays during my two-year neuroendocrine cancer battle.

(I have Medicare Advantage insurance and do not qualify for Medicaid because my Social Security amount is over the income limit for Medicaid).

To brief you on my journey, I was diagnosed in December 2022 with rare neuroendocrine cancer and my oncologist required that I have robotic surgery to remove the small tumor. I was damaged by the surgeon and his PA during my cancer surgery in early January 2023, which caused deep fractured ribs, scraped ribs and a damaged dislocated rib cage, vagus nerve damage, muscle damage, intercostal nerve damage, which caused severe gastroparesis.

In 2023, I paid many, many medical copays for the cancer surgery, Biopsies, CT Scans, MRIs, Pain Manaagement Doctor who did nerve blocks, gastroenterology tests to confirm my Gastroparesis, Outpatient Physical Therapy, Spine Doctor because the ribs damages affected my thoracic spine, medications. During 2023, I still had extra money in savings, and was still earning a little commission pay for my travel agent job, which had diminished a lot during that year due to not being able to fully do my job because of all of the various medical complications.

In addition, I finally had to seek counseling and was diagnosed with PTSD that was caused by all that happened to me from the robotic surgical damages. I had to pay counseling copays too.

Toward the end of 2023, I was feeling better, doing much better, getting a little active again in living my life . . . and then, the big shock came in late December 2023 and January 2024. When I had my cancer follow-up PET Scan, another neuroendocrine cancer tumor showed up in a different part of my body. I had to have another Biopsy which confirmed that it was more aggressive than the first tumor. Due to the "botched up" robotic surgery the year before, suture remnant materials were left on parts of my lower rib cage which had been fractured and scraped and caused the neuroendocrine cells to leak.

So I began 2024 with another cancer battle. This time I had to have double chemotherapy (2 kinds of IV chemo) and radiation through the end of April -- sometimes all three on the same day -- very aggressive cancer treatment and many treatment copays, along with copays for my oncologist and radiologist. By May, I began to develop complications to my pre-existing conditions mentioned above, in addition to permanent chemo-induced neuropathy, a damaged esophagus caused by radiation, increased rib cage pain caused by radiation, very bad chemo and radiation-induced fatigue, major weight loss complicated by malnutrition and muscle wasting which was caused by chemo and gastroparesis. In addition to ongoing medical and counseling copays, I had to start spending several hundred dollars a month on nutritional beverages and protein powders.

Due to all of the multiple conditions above, I started early last summer seeking medical help from specialists, even a neurologist who treats vagus nerve damage. More and more medical copays kept using any extra money I had left. Social Security had covered my rent and related living bills, normal bills like car insurance, cell phone, groceries, medicines, home essentials, other miscellaneous bills.

There was never enough Social Security to cover numerous medical copays for tests and doctors. Until last October, I was able to make it ok because I still had some savings and money in my medical account (some from a small Go Fund Me last summer). Since then, I have struggled with everything -- medical copays, tests, doctors, treatments, medicines, nutritional beverages, normal living expenses.

During the last few months and continuing, I had to discontinue my vagus nerve damage treatments and outpatient physical therapy, postpone several specialist appointments, including stopping counseling. In addition, I now have a transverse colon hernia and ventral hernia that are looped around each other at the ends. Doctors think my hernias have caused my abdomen/stomach vagus nerve and muscle damages to be worse, which has made my gastroparesis worse. I have to be evaluated by a hernia surgeon and colon surgeon. Nothing can be done to help my rib cage damages.

I tried home health care with two different companies, and their home health team wasn't advanced enough to help me with all of my conditions, including very limited physical therapy.

In 2024, I seldom worked my travel agent job (which I have loved dearly for 18 years), lost a lot of clients (except a few close long-time clients) because I have been about 50% (and some days more) disabled/dysfunctional. I have had no quality of life for over a year now.

I have walked this journey alone with no one to help me, except for dear God above who has been with me every day and night, comforted me, guided me, and blessed me during the most devastating, lonely, sad, and overwhelming time in my life.

I do not have money to pay all of my medical copays for all of the tests, treatments, doctors I need and am reaching out to you through GoFundMe for a small donation. I truly believe that if I get the medical help I need, I will still have some fun, productive, happy years left to enjoy more senior years. As my church Pastoral Care Minister has told me, God isn't finished with you yet, He has plans for you, and I deeply believe that God is calling me to minister to other seniors who are struggling with major health conditions, disabilities, and are alone like me, who need to be cared about.

I would sincerely appreciate a $25.00 - $50.00 donation to my Go Fund Me, so I can move forward with all of my necessary medical care. I pray, and ask for your prayers, that with the medical care I need, I can have a beautiful quality of life again. Thank you from my heart in advance for your donation, and may God bless you.

If you have questions and wish to contact me, you are welcome to call, text or email me.

Mary Kay Crowder