Make a new plan....

So the results of the surgery were devastating. We felt completely hopeless and unsure of our future. How could this happen? We've been responsible and prepared for having a family for a long time. We had a house with a room that was supposed to be the nursery..now I couldn't even go in that room. In fact I rarely ever went in that room or opened the door to it. It was too saddening. We had sperm cryopreserved but the dream of having a family was very far out of reach. How would we afford IVF? The surgery was very expensive and all out of pocket.

We took another HUGE financial hit when our insurance company that paid for the first surgery decided that since it was an infertility based biopsy they would reverse payment on the entire surgery. So we owed Rex Hospital, the anesthesiologist, and the urologist 100% of two surgeries. We had paid for the second surgery when the first surgery was paid for by insurance and all copays and deductibles were met. So we were being responsible. Our insurance company betrayed us..or so we felt. I was contemplating quitting school at that point. After all, all i really wanted to be was a stay at home mom. That wasn't happening so I may as well be working instead of going to school for the hopes of a job after graduation. I was at rock bottom. I spent days on the phone with insurance and with the billing coordinator at the urologist's office. It was hours and hours of phone calls. The billing coordinator was wonderful. She sent letters of medical necessity and spent hours on the phone with the insurance company too. She listened to me vent about all of it and how heartbroken we were. This stranger on the other end of the phone became my friend and ally in that dark time.

I was at a standstill as far as what to do. I was beginning my first semester of my internship at a local elementary school. It was January 2010. Another year was beginning. People always gave the spiel about how great and hopeful a new year is and we sat at home feeling lost. On my first day of my internship I went in..begrudgingly. I had a very awesome school and clinical teacher, but I felt like I wasn't supposed to be there. I remember that day..I got home and felt like I had no idea what to do. At that time, we were using our answering machine on our printer combo machine and it was upstairs in the guest room. So anytime we checked messages we had to go upstairs to listen. That day I got home and kicked off my shoes. My feet hurt from standing and I remember thinking this: There's probably not a message important enough for me to walk upstairs to check the machine. After a few minutes I talked myself into checking the messages. It was the insurance coordinator from the urologist's office. I really did not want to call her back. I was burned out from the daily back and forth between her and insurance. Plus it was nearly 5:00. I really hate calling someone near 5:00 because they rarely answer their phone and let it go to voicemail. Much to my surprise, she did pick up her phone.And the next thing she said came unexpected.

 She said, "I have some good news for you." She said..Dr. S said you have paid him enough money and he's writing off the rest of your account!!!!" I immediately went to tears. Then the billing coordinator went to tears too. We both cried and thanked Jesus for such a wonderful blessing. She told me she was so happy I called her before 5:00. (I called her at 4:55). I also received a refund for $6000 which was the portion of the second surgery we had paid for that he was unable to complete due to the scar tissue. Between that and our income tax refund that year we had enough to do IVF. I felt a HUGE sense of relief. I called Chris crying. He thought something was wrong. I couldn't compose myself. I was truly touched by Dr. S's generosity. He was always so kind and compassionate to us and this was a wonderful blessing.

Later on that week it occurred to me that maybe we won't be able to have enough to do IVF. If insurance reversed payment to the urologist then they reversed payment for the surgical fees for the hospital also. The hospital bill was even bigger. However, time went by and to this day we never saw a bill from them. I don't know if Dr. S did something to clear us of that debt to Rex also or what but it was very supernatural. The debt was gone, just like that. After all the blood, sweat, and tears to get to this point..our debt was paid. This always reminded me of our debt for sin and how it was paid by Jesus. He said..your account is clear! I truly knew what that meant that day!