Once More, With Feeling.

UPDATE: Sunday, 1:34pm, Feb 20, 2016

My friend and colleague, Kendra Taylor, reposted this blog to YouCaring.com as part of a fundraising effort on my behalf and so far, it's been a success. The effort has raised enough money to cover the pre-procedure costs and there is still time to maybe cover all or a good part of the rest. That campaign can be found here.Thanks to the 27 amazing people who've given thus far and the 252 times folks have shared to social media and encourage their friends to pitch in, as well. Some of the words that have been shared on my behalf are truly humbling. I am sure I will never be able to properly express the gratitude I am feeling about how this is unfolding, but for now, my many many thanks.

ORIGINAL POST:
In 2007, I started to experience weird symptoms with my vision: I misjudged balls in flight in both my soccer and softball leagues; I couldn't hit a nail with a hammer, missing to one side or the other five or six times per nail; I had students 'appear' out of nowhere who'd been waiting patiently to speak to me, standing off to one side. I chalked it up to 'getting old' and looked for a good time in my relatively busy schedule to have my eyes checked. Nearly nine months of these symptoms persisted before I scheduled an appointment on the first day of Spring Break in 2008. After a local optometrist gave me a vision field screening, I was immediately referred for a: a second, much more specific vision field test b: an MRI of my brain and c: a neurological consult. Ten days after that first test, I was in surgery to have a tumor on my pituitary gland reduced (not removed...more on that below). The tumor—an adenoma, not malignant, but still—had grown in the space between the hemispheres of my brain and had pressed my optic nerve, causing a total loss of peripheral vision on both sides...

Fast forward to now. Some of the same vision issues emerged again in the late summer. I had a screening in the week between Christmas and New Year's: Same loss of peripheral vision is well on it's way (right side nearly gone, left side still relatively functional, but measurably deficient). MRI scheduled: Same tumor size and location confirmed. The previous effort was not able to remove 100% of the otherwise benign mass, due to proximity to major blood vessels as well as the gland and optic nerve, so the decision was to get as much as possible and then wait for (estimated) seven years or so until it was again big enough to cause problems. It's been nearly eight and the next round of surgery is scheduled for March 8, 2016.

I've been living a decent, but financially strained life. Since 2008, I've been engaged in a protracted remodel of a home (still unfinished), gotten remarried, and had a son. We have our resources at close to maxed out on a month-to-month basis and only become a two income home in October.  The past couple of years have seen us absorbing costs of college for my wife, the new baby, and unavoidable overseas travel following the death of my mother-in-law in Russia. Shouldering the additional costs of this medical procedure are going to be crippling. 

All of the pre-procedure costs will apply to, and likely meet, my $3000 deductible. Then many of the procedural costs are covered at 80/20, rather than fully. Insurance will cover every approved cost incurred after an annual out of pocket cap of $10000, but there are some other non-medical costs, like added child care expenses (since I will be on a lifting restriction and my wife cannot take 15 days off of work to care for me and the kiddo), ranging from maybe $500 to in the neighborhood of $2k over the months of March and April.

If I could spread $12k out over our next 12 months of paychecks, it would be barely manageable, and some of my other debts would have to be carefully prioritized and juggled and postponed... but I will be billed for over $5k it prior to March 8. The remaining $7k (estimated) will be billed by the end of March. At least $3500 of it (portions of the initial MRI and both of the surgical specialists) must be paid in advance (I still don't know about the hospital advance costs). None of my providers is able to extend repayment beyond 90 days and several won't go past 60. 

Clearly, I don't need help for ALL of this, but I sure do need some of it, and I need it soon! Thoughts?