Please will you help me with medical travel expenses?

Kale Meyer Start Date: Jul 16, 2023 - End Date: Nov 15, 2023
  • Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America
  • Rochester, MN, United States of America

My Travel Story

by: Kale Meyer Start Date: Jul 16, 2023 - End Date: Nov 15, 2023
Hi Everyone,

Have come on to the site as a last resort. I'm really hoping you guys out there can help me. Are willing to help me. I'd be very thankful for anything.

Since 2017 I've had to travel to Ann Arbor Michigan. The University of Michigan have doctors we don't have in Iowa. I have made a minimum of two trips per year. I am low income on disability. I've been struggling to come up with the money to make the trip each time. Now I find myself in a position where it's more urgent for me to go and see the doctor's there. The doctors here cannot help me because they do not have any of the expertise in my condition. Which I've had multiple surgeries for. I believe it's 5 or 6 at this point trying to correct this issue. Monday night this issue reappeared. Because of an infection and possibly a partial blockage. Which means yet another surgery. I have to go there on Monday for a scope to make sure I don't have any blockages. As of today, July 12th, I have to drive to Ann Arbor for appointments on the 17th and the 24th. (One way is just over 7 hours) I also just got back from appointments on the 6th and 7th of this month. I had one of many corrective surgeries in April. It actually put me in the hospital for 10 days followed by a rehab facility for 21 days. Then I had to stay in the area until I was clear to drive home by the doctors. Which was an expense of a hotel for 18 days. My credit cards are completely maxed out. I have no other source of income other than my disability check. I'm seriously desperate. These are appointments I can't miss! I wish more than anything they had doctors for this in my state. We barely have doctors for a lot of things here. Iowa is not the place doctors want to be.

On top of this expense. I have other rare conditions that are treated at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota. In the past year I've been there about 10 times. I've had two surgical procedures. One on my back and one on my heart. So all of the medical stuff I've got going on is complex and serious. I don't really feel comfortable divulging all of the information. However, the Mayo Clinic does want me to participate in a week-long program for my heart condition. Which is a 5-day long hotel stay. Which they do not pay for. That would be out of my pocket. There is also another program for diet because my heart condition caused CKD stage 3A. I have trouble with three different types of kidney stones as well. They want me to spend 5 days for this program as well. It's basically for example how do I identify which foods have oxalates in them. It's not a regular Weight Watchers type of thing. I have a very strict specific diet which is complicated. This program will help me understand it better. Also how to psychologically deal with the fact that this is all going on in my body and it's overwhelming. The heart condition caused the kidney condition. It's possible for it to affect other organs up the road too. I'm hoping it stays stable since we now know what it is and have a treatment plan. 

I don't really have a support system either. For the most part my family has abandoned me and I don't have many friends left. My best friend was murdered and my marriage ended. That kind of forced me to pull away from people. Once you pull away, they pull away too. So here I am on this website hoping somebody's going to read my story. Read my story and be the shining light i really need right now. Restore my faith in people. Although, slightly vague it is very real. Anything you could help with this extremely appreciated. I'll be very thankful for anything.

Over the past 6 years of traveling to both Rochester(Rochester since 2009) and Ann Arbor I have probably put myself in debt around $15,000. I don't have the ability to find all the receipts but I know that's really close to what the number is because my one credit card that I only use for travel is maxed out at $9000 right now. I did pay off my small one that was $1,500. So that's 10,500 right there. I've been paying on the $9,000 one the whole time too. This includes gas, Hotel, oil change, car maintenance, food, medical supplies that are not covered by insurance, someone to come in and care for my cats which are emotional support animals, and having to pay to store my car while I was in the hospital and rehab. Which is more expensive than one would think. As I said earlier, I still have more trips to make. Except now my credit cards are maxed and I have no money. I have no one to ask to borrow money. I'm not sure what to do since these trips to Ann Arbor especially are very medically necessary and very urgent. I drive an older car too so it eats a little bit of oil and of course there's more maintenance. Right now I need headlights because there's a short in the connection that is causing the car to not start sometimes when the headlights are on. It's because of the moisture that builds up inside the older headlights. New headlights will have a new gasket so moisture can't get in. New headlights I think will make it easier for me to see at night too. I'm kind of hesitant driving at night because it is hard for me to see. When I drive other people's cars and the headlights come on? I'm absolutely amazed at how bright they are! It's insane! At any rate it's between $700 and $1,000 to replace the headlights because they have to pull off the bumper and in my case they have to replace the sockets and some of plastic clips on the bumper. I just had to replace some front suspension parts including struts and I can't remember what the other parts were. It cost me about $1,100. I actually took out a loan for this with high interest rate. I didn't have a choice. I don't have the money to trade this in for a new car and afford a car payment.A bank/CU wouldn't give me a loan anyway. Really there's nothing wrong with this car otherwise. It's a Honda so they're known to eat a little oil. Mechanically that's the only thing wrong. Otherwise it drives and runs great. I actually really like this car. It's paid off. So I only have the maintenance to worry about.

I really wish I could work to make up the difference in what I need financially. However my health prevents me from working. I've even went through vocational rehab and things like that. There's literally nothing anyone can do to help me find work. Which is also depressing because it would be nice to at least have something 5 to 10 or 15 hours a week. Although I spend more than that at doctor's appointments every week. I almost don't have time to work because of always being at one appointment or another.

Anything you can spare would really help.

Iowa is funny with their taxes too because I can't write any of this stuff off either. Not on disability. So, I don't get a refund. Literally it's $0 and so is federal. 

At this point, even if you could spare me advice I would take it. Thank you for stopping by and reading my story. 

KM
  • Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America
  • Rochester, MN, United States of America