Hi, my name is Michaela O'Brien. I'm 26 years old, and I have lived in Rhode Island my whole life. I am currently going through some medical issues. I have a brachial cleft cyst on the left side of my neck that needs to be surgically removed. If I don't get it removed, there's a possibility of it getting infected and swollen, which would land me back at the hospital.

I was born with this cyst. It was so small for all my life, I didn't even know I had it. One day recently in May, it became noticeably bigger, and I went to see my PCP. Every day it was getting bigger and bigger. It looked like I had a softball on the side of my neck at one point. In the process of my cyst getting bigger, I went to Kent emergency room to figure out what was going on. That's where I learned what type of cyst I had. I was admitted to RI Hospital in June due to a severe infection. The cyst got so big that I couldn't open my mouth fully for 3 days. I got bedside treatment twice to remove all of the liquid that was building up in it. I have been advised to wear a compression wrap around my neck every day after leaving the hospital, and the cyst has gotten much smaller since, but it is still noticeable. My only option for removal is by surgery. I had an appointment for surgery but found out two days before that my insurance doesn't cover it. I was told I'd have to pay in full before my procedure, which was not possible for me to do. I have tried every route you can think of to get some help to cover this procedure. My concern is that it may become swollen and infected again. The cost of this surgery is around $7,500. My ENT stated that there's a possibility I might need a tonsil taken out, but he won't know that until I'm in surgery. If I need my tonsil removed, this surgery could cost me even more. I don't know the exact amount, but when I looked it up, it states a range of $4,000 to $8,000. I have been paying out of pocket for all the doctor's visits and scans for months. Currently, my Kent Hospital bill for just an emergency room visit and CT scan is $2,194. My RI Hospital bill for my 4-day stay is $15,137.69. Unfortunately, my insurance covers very little. I plan to leave this insurance as soon as open enrollment becomes available. I have been incredibly overwhelmed with everything that has been going on these past few months and thought to seek some help through my community. I know times right now can be challenging, but any help is appreciated! Thank you for taking the time to read this. I appreciate it more than you know!