In a heartbreaking social media post, a 38-year-old mother from Brooklyn, New York announced her own death. But she didn’t just want to end her life: she posthumously asked for donations in a cry for help. In this way, she provided a small windfall to pay off the sometimes terrible medical debts of cancer patients.
Just last week, Casey McIntyre died of stage four ovarian cancer, but before that she arranged for her husband to make the prepared message public. “To my friends: if you are reading this, I have died,” she began the text.
“I loved you all with all my heart and I promise you I knew how much I was loved,” the 38-year-old wrote.
The appeal is a great success
“To celebrate my life,” she then asked for donations: There are too many people who do not have access to good medical care. Affected are people with low incomes and people who have to go into deep debt to pay their hospital costs.
She has therefore arranged for a donation to the non-profit organization RIP Medical Debt to help cover healthcare costs for people who can never afford it. The appeal was a great success: shortly after her husband, Andrew Rose Gregory, published the news, the campaign quickly surpassed its original goal of $20,000 (about 18,300 euros).
The costs prevent a promising treatment
More than 430,000 dollars (approximately 393,500 euros) have now been raised. Gregory said his wife had good health insurance and received excellent care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Still, the couple faced some “mind-boggling” paperwork costs, he said.
“What impressed me and Casey is the fact that there are good cancer treatments that people can’t afford,” he said. “Instead of dreaming about a cure for cancer, why not just help people crushed by medical debt?”
11 million with over $2000 in debt
Patients can rack up large bills quickly in the U.S. health care system, leaving them in debt even if they have insurance. This is especially true for people who are hospitalized or require regular care or prescriptions for chronic health conditions.
A 2022 nonprofit analysis of government data estimates that nearly one in 10 American adults have at least $250 in medical debt. Of a total of approximately 23 million people, 11 million owe more than 2,000 dollars (1,830 euros).
Got “bonus summer” but couldn’t finish everything
McIntyre, who worked as a book publisher, had been treated for ovarian cancer since 2019. Last year, she spent about three months in the hospital, her husband said. After she nearly died in May, the Brooklyn couple began planning her memorial service. McIntyre spent the past five months in hospice care at home, giving her what Gregory calls a “bonus summer.”
She took trips to the beach and spent time with her family, including her 18-month-old daughter Grace. “Casey was very ill towards the end of her life and she was no longer able to complete everything she wanted,” Gregory said. “But I knew she wanted to do this memorial and this fundraiser. So I organized it and… did it the way I thought she would have wanted it.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
