Support Michelle's Brain Surgery and Ongoing Medical Costs

My name is Jeff Nugent and I'm organizing this fundraiser for Michelle Corotan to help her with the expense of a pending brain surgery procedure and medical bills that have been stacking up since she suffered an aneurysm in 2019.

As many of you know, Michelle is an extraordinary person; a courageous survivor, a beautiful, adventurous spirit, a loyal friend to many, and an avid supporter of the Southern CA motorcycling community.

Since her brain stroke, she has embraced her love of motorcycling as a way to cope with her life being forever altered. However, even throttle therapy can't help her shake the relentless stress of not only her current medical bills but the looming expense of yet another brain surgery procedure.

On January 11th, nearly six years after her aneurysm, Michelle experienced a mysterious allergic reaction that sent her into anaphylaxis. After ending up in the ER and receiving a dose of epinephrine, she was prescribed several medications along with two epi pens. Since then, Michelle developed circulatory issues (vasculitis) and a liver injury. In the midst of multiple hospital visits with her primary care physician, she was referred to a rheumatologist, an allergy specialist, and an ultrasound technician.

A second allergic reaction recently emerged from an unknown source, which prompted her to use one of her epi pens to treat her anaphylactic symptoms.

Despite having health insurance, each of these hospital visits, appointments, and prescriptions have come with massive out-of-pocket expenses.

As her health issues progressed, Michelle finally went in for an updated brain scan (MRA). As a result, her neurologist at UCLA identified a very real potential for a new rupture and recommended that she get a stent installed (cerebral embolization) to bypass her existing coiled aneurysm. This procedure will require at least an overnight stay for monitoring before being discharged. Recovery will be 1-2 weeks of rest at home before returning to work, with reduced pay as she is running out of PTO.

Her out-of-pocket costs will be daunting, to put it mildly.

Seeing her go through the emotional and mental strain of ongoing health struggles, financial distress, and feeling as though she simply can't afford her neurologist-recommended procedure has prompted me to set up this GoFundMe.

Donations will go toward her brain surgery costs, which are expected to surpass $40,000 on top of her existing and ongoing out-of-pocket medical expenses. Any amount you can contribute would be greatly appreciated. Every dollar counts, and even just words of support and sharing this page would help her get through this difficult time.