Sister Afaf Medical Funding Help
Donation protected
As Salaamu Alaikum was Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatuh
May this message find you in great health and blessings....
Many of you know my mother Afaf Tamimi from her continued dedication to the community whether through her volunteering, Quran lessons and babysitting for our community children, or her unforgettable Matlouba (upside down rice) at the community potlucks.
As not only a heart to the community my mother has always been the back bone of our family. She is the caregiver for not only my father who has Usher's Syndrome (a disease that has taken majority of his hearing and sight) but also for one of my brothers who has developmental issues. Through her hard work and dedication my mother and I have always been blessed to be able to provide enough financial support for not only our own family but to others as well. Unfortunately, this past summer we were hit with a series of events that turned our lives upside down.
This past June my mother was diagnosed with Stage 3 Colon Cancer. She was admitted for emergency surgery at Howard County General Hospital in which a large malignant tumor, a significant section of her small intestine, and part of her abdominal wall were removed. Following surgery her plan of care included 6 months of chemotherapy.
Being optimistic we focused on her health and were not concerned with medical bills as she had Medicaid....or so we thought. My mother turned 65 the same month she was diagnosed with her cancer and we found out she had lost her Medicaid coverage as Medicare became her primary insurance coverage and supposedly the limited social security income my parents received each month was considered “too high” by the state to be eligible for Medicaid. Thinking there was no way this information was correct (as their income was $1522.20 a MONTH - prior to any deductibles or prescription plan costs that were now due) I tried to appeal to the state that there was no way we could afford the 20% responsibility of her medical bills as the initial surgery alone was over $24,000.00
As we continued her treatment and the bills continued to accrue we were hit with tragedy yet again. Not only were masses found on my thyroid that required me to lose work (and consequently income) I too had to undergo surgery...within the same week of my own surgery my father was admitted to the University of MD Shock Trauma as he had complications from his diabetes which caused a massive infection within his left thigh - this resulted in 2 emergency surgeries during his inpatient stay and over a month of rehabilitation at Ellicott City Health and Rehab. Following rehabilitation, we needed home health care as my mother was too ill from the chemotherapy to care for him and he could not tend to his wound care himself.
Our latest heartbreak was that after having completed her chemotherapy we were recently informed that my mother’s follow-up CT scan unfortunately did not come back clear - small masses were found on her right kidney and lung. She is being referred to John’s Hopkins to meet with a radiation oncologist but we are back again to more treatment, more bills.
With her medical assistance appeals being denied the only option I see is having to wait until open enrollment in November to purchase both my parents a Medicare supplement plan. In their current state their social security income only leaves $127/week for food, clothing, toiletries, etc. COMBINED after just their basic bills are paid. We have been lucky enough to have friends giving us office samples for her heart and diabetes medications as we cannot afford the astronomical cost of those two alone (we are already paying 2 prescription drug plans plus their copays every month as it is).
Determined to overcome these setbacks I have not only been working my fulltime position as Director of Revenue Cycle Monday-Friday, I have been juggling working contracted medical billing positions from home during my nights and weekends. I thank God every day that I have had the energy to work 7 days a week for months on end but I feel myself losing strength. After appealing her eligibility for medical assistance and with the influx of bills for major medical procedures for both parents I feel defeated. I hated to have to ask for help as we were always so blessed to have had the ability to help others - I accept that our blessings have just shifted in that we have been given the strength to keep fighting.
In asking for assistance my hope is to raise enough to make it to November to purchase supplement plans but to also tackle the thousands of dollars in medical bills (those that are in collections and for the bills that will be coming from seeing the radiation oncologist.) The only assets my parents have left is their home and her 2001 Honda Odyssey – neither of which they deserve to lose for having become ill. I do not want my mom avoiding care in her concern of how much it is going to cost and ask that you not only help financially but for anyone seeing this please keep my family in your prayers.
We welcome full transparency and can provide any documentation as needed to ease the minds and hearts of donors. Please above all else make the sincerest duaa (prayer) as often as you can make it, because duaa is superior to all else.
Jazaakum Allahu Khayran for your generosity.
For those who are generously inquiring, donations are zakat-eligible**
**Please remember to allow for and calculate in the GFM fee of 2.9% + 30¢/donation when giving zakat.
May this message find you in great health and blessings....
Many of you know my mother Afaf Tamimi from her continued dedication to the community whether through her volunteering, Quran lessons and babysitting for our community children, or her unforgettable Matlouba (upside down rice) at the community potlucks.
As not only a heart to the community my mother has always been the back bone of our family. She is the caregiver for not only my father who has Usher's Syndrome (a disease that has taken majority of his hearing and sight) but also for one of my brothers who has developmental issues. Through her hard work and dedication my mother and I have always been blessed to be able to provide enough financial support for not only our own family but to others as well. Unfortunately, this past summer we were hit with a series of events that turned our lives upside down.
This past June my mother was diagnosed with Stage 3 Colon Cancer. She was admitted for emergency surgery at Howard County General Hospital in which a large malignant tumor, a significant section of her small intestine, and part of her abdominal wall were removed. Following surgery her plan of care included 6 months of chemotherapy.
Being optimistic we focused on her health and were not concerned with medical bills as she had Medicaid....or so we thought. My mother turned 65 the same month she was diagnosed with her cancer and we found out she had lost her Medicaid coverage as Medicare became her primary insurance coverage and supposedly the limited social security income my parents received each month was considered “too high” by the state to be eligible for Medicaid. Thinking there was no way this information was correct (as their income was $1522.20 a MONTH - prior to any deductibles or prescription plan costs that were now due) I tried to appeal to the state that there was no way we could afford the 20% responsibility of her medical bills as the initial surgery alone was over $24,000.00
As we continued her treatment and the bills continued to accrue we were hit with tragedy yet again. Not only were masses found on my thyroid that required me to lose work (and consequently income) I too had to undergo surgery...within the same week of my own surgery my father was admitted to the University of MD Shock Trauma as he had complications from his diabetes which caused a massive infection within his left thigh - this resulted in 2 emergency surgeries during his inpatient stay and over a month of rehabilitation at Ellicott City Health and Rehab. Following rehabilitation, we needed home health care as my mother was too ill from the chemotherapy to care for him and he could not tend to his wound care himself.
Our latest heartbreak was that after having completed her chemotherapy we were recently informed that my mother’s follow-up CT scan unfortunately did not come back clear - small masses were found on her right kidney and lung. She is being referred to John’s Hopkins to meet with a radiation oncologist but we are back again to more treatment, more bills.
With her medical assistance appeals being denied the only option I see is having to wait until open enrollment in November to purchase both my parents a Medicare supplement plan. In their current state their social security income only leaves $127/week for food, clothing, toiletries, etc. COMBINED after just their basic bills are paid. We have been lucky enough to have friends giving us office samples for her heart and diabetes medications as we cannot afford the astronomical cost of those two alone (we are already paying 2 prescription drug plans plus their copays every month as it is).
Determined to overcome these setbacks I have not only been working my fulltime position as Director of Revenue Cycle Monday-Friday, I have been juggling working contracted medical billing positions from home during my nights and weekends. I thank God every day that I have had the energy to work 7 days a week for months on end but I feel myself losing strength. After appealing her eligibility for medical assistance and with the influx of bills for major medical procedures for both parents I feel defeated. I hated to have to ask for help as we were always so blessed to have had the ability to help others - I accept that our blessings have just shifted in that we have been given the strength to keep fighting.
In asking for assistance my hope is to raise enough to make it to November to purchase supplement plans but to also tackle the thousands of dollars in medical bills (those that are in collections and for the bills that will be coming from seeing the radiation oncologist.) The only assets my parents have left is their home and her 2001 Honda Odyssey – neither of which they deserve to lose for having become ill. I do not want my mom avoiding care in her concern of how much it is going to cost and ask that you not only help financially but for anyone seeing this please keep my family in your prayers.
We welcome full transparency and can provide any documentation as needed to ease the minds and hearts of donors. Please above all else make the sincerest duaa (prayer) as often as you can make it, because duaa is superior to all else.
Jazaakum Allahu Khayran for your generosity.
For those who are generously inquiring, donations are zakat-eligible**
**Please remember to allow for and calculate in the GFM fee of 2.9% + 30¢/donation when giving zakat.
Organizer
Malak Tamimi
Organizer
Columbia, MD
