Where there's a Williamson, there's a Way

Hello true believers, I'd like to share a story with you. This is a GoFundMe, so you know that in all likelihood it is not a happy tale, but with a little help from a lot of people, I am certain we can work on a better next chapter for Mary and Scott. I hope you'll take a minute to read it.

Scott is a ridiculously good person, heck he's practically a parody of Southern grace and charm. He has had a life dedicated to public service, active in his church, and devoted to his wife and children. A paramedic for twenty years, he has spent time on both coasts on the ground and in the air, helping anyone in need and supporting every community he's lived in. Here in Alaska, he has spent the last five years helping to lead one of the fastest-growing EMS systems in the state and was the Chief of Mat-Su Borough EMS. Mary has been an RN for as many years and was working providing in-home care for patients in the community as well as teaching nursing classes for the local program. Their two boys, Boone and Eli, are brilliant and feral, like any good Alaskan kids.

A career in EMS means learning that things can change in an instant. At the beginning of this year, Scott began having excruciating back pain, on his last day able to work he could not even get out of his vehicle. A complex combination of injuries, vertebral malformations, and entrapped root nerves left him unable to function without assistance. Months of specialists and failed procedures later, now auto-immune problems are present. Facing the prospect of a career-ending injury and long-term disability, he and Mary made the difficult decision to leave Alaska and move to Virginia where his extended family is so that they have a support network. He was also accepted to Johns Hopkins as a patient. The plan was that Mary would start a new job as a charge nurse for an oncology unit and they would work on getting him to the right specialists for his care. They made it to Virginia and found out two things.

The first was that Scott's structural problems are far from over, and he will need more surgery including a biopsy for a mass on his spine. The specialists at Johns Hopkins agree that he may have MS, but that he is also the "poster child" for Central Sensitization Syndrome, which is a unique type of neuropathy that results in constant nerve pain and is irreversible. The second thing they discovered is that Mary has invasive breast cancer (Stage III). It is pleomorphic and uncommon, and she is scheduled for surgical intervention and will be undergoing chemo and radiation as indicated by the tests. The timing means that she was unable to start her new job, leaving them with devastating illnesses and no ability to maintain insurance coverage.

The ask here is to help keep the family covered under COBRA for as long as possible. Family coverage under Scott's benefits works out to roughly $3,300/month. The first goal is to get him six months of coverage. He can be under it for a total of 18 months. So if we get the six months covered, I will increase the goal amount as we go. 100% of the proceeds will go toward medical coverage.

The boys are doing well, and Scott's folks have been an amazing support for them. There isn't often much we can do from so far away, but this is one way to get this family through what is the worst time of their life. Every little bit will help. For a family who has spent their whole lives helping others, I hope that we can bring them a little bit of aid when they need it most.

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About the Organizer and Process:

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Tracey Loscar. I am the Deputy Director of EMS for the Mat-Su Borough and prior to his departure from us was Scott's boss. Over the last seven years, he and I have worked either with or for one another as our positions changed. He is one of my dearest friends. Here in Alaska, along with other people at MSB EMS, we are the ones working to keep him covered for as long as possible.

Working with our Human Resources Department, 100% of the donations will go to fund his coverage and medical expenses. At Scott's request, they are being routed through an account in my name at Alaska USA FCU. From there they will be routed to COBRA via HR. It has been designated a donation account for the next 90 days in order to accommodate additional donations. The GoFundMe will be closed if for any reason we can no longer apply the money to his COBRA expenses and any balance will be sent to him in order to apply to any medical expenses. We will put updates up regularly on coverage progress as well as Scott and Mary's health.

I am the lead organizer of this fundraiser and am in contact with the Williamsons close to daily. Please contact me via GoFundMe if you want any additional information. Thank you to everyone who has helped in any way!