I really thought I was one of the fortunate ones.  After college, I started a career in Employee Benefits, worked my way up the ranks and have had the good fortune of steady employment, employer sponsored benefits, including health insurance, and a decent salary. 

I never dreamed that a medical condition could put our family in financial distress.  We were covered by insurance and had savings earmarked for out-of-pocket medical expenses. I also never dreamed how fast things could spiral out of control.

In October of 2014 I was diagnosed with colon cancer.  At first, we thought surgery would be the only treatment needed and life would quickly return to how I had always known it. That did not turn out not be the case.  Over the course of the next four years, there were seven surgeries, twelve rounds of chemo, countless imaging scans, follow-up visits, complications from surgeries that required more care and numerous other medical procedures that go along with living with a chronic illness. In addition, I needed a procedure that only 10 centers in the country perform, so we traveled to San Diego numerous times, incurring hotel and travel expenses that were not covered under insurance. 

There is no way you can put a price on a human life, but the reality is, it’s expensive!  We quickly learned we were in this for the long haul and an end was nowhere in sight.

I turned to the internet looking for any help I could find that would make this situation more bearable.  What I learned was there were a lot of resources for those that were under a certain income level or had lost everything, including their homes and retirement savings, but limited resources for people like me.  That is when I knew I needed to make a difference.  

After doing some quick math, my total out-of-pocket spend since diagnosis had skyrocketed to $100K. Our savings earmarked towards medical costs were long since wiped out.  We scoured through our budget, cut where we could and downsized our house but realized that still wasn’t going to be enough.  Children’s colleges were looming and the feeling of helplessness was overwhelming.  I called every medical provider and tried to negotiate a lower cost or a payment plan.  

After years of payment plans and negotiated fees, I am finally out of medical debt, but the kicker is…there is no end in sight. I continue to have annual follow up scans and implemented a rigorous self care/preventive practice which insurance doesn’t cover, perpetuating the never ending cycle.

It is common knowledge that our medical system is broken with no fix in sight. Ironically, I have spent my entire career helping employers reduce their healthcare spend for employees making me somewhat of an insider who knows her way around the system. No one should have to lose their home or file bankruptcy due to unforeseen medical expenses that no one would wish on themselves. 

And through all of this, Wight Horse was born….