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Hedda Martin needed a new heart – but before being listed on the transplant list, the Michigan woman had to shell out $ 10,000.
In a Facebook post, Martin shared a letter from the heart and lung transplant center Richard Devos of Spectrum Health, based in Grand Rapids, that she had been rejected as a heart transplant candidate because she had not not enough money, according to MLive.
Instead, the letter suggested that the 60-year-old should get $ 10,000 through a "fundraising effort," reported MLive.
And now, after the outrage aroused by the letter, Martin has far exceeded that initial goal of $ 10,000.
Martin developed congestive heart failure after receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer in 2005 and has been through "many medications and treatments" since, according to a family-generated GoFundMe page.
Earlier this month, she was admitted to the Spectrum Health Meijer Cardiac Center in Grand Rapids after her heart "deteriorated to the point of death," says the page. She was told that she would need a heart transplant, said GoFundMe, but she needs to raise US $ 10,000 to cover the 20% drug intake in case her body rejects her new heart. . If she raises money, she will be considered to be put on the waiting list for the transplant.
"The transplant team does not want to" waste "a vital organ if it can not afford drugs for heart rejection. Of course, "continues the GoFundMe page. "However, they are not even willing to put her on the list, knowing that it would still give her time to collect money for about a year through her family. Since she needs funds right now so she can be on the transplant list and not waste precious time, we are asking for anything you can afford.
"We have to put mom on the list of heart transplants," he says. "She will be able to stand again in front of the transplant team on March 26, 2019."
Martin's story began circulating online after new Democratic Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez tweeted the letter Saturday.
Ocasio-Cortez, like many others, expressed frustration that a patient had been asked to "raise" money for medical treatment.
Others corrected the new congressman from New York, who had mistakenly tweeted that the letter came from an insurance company.
Spectrum Health reacted to the outrage of social media with a statement on its website explaining that "we carefully examine applicants for heart and lung transplant procedures with care and compassion, and that these decisions are often very complex and difficult.
"Even though we can not provide a transplant, we are still upset, but we have an obligation to ensure that transplants are successful and that donor organs remain viable," it says. "… Although our primary goal is the medical needs of the patient, the fact is that transplants require lifelong care and immunosuppression medications. As a result, costs are sometimes a regrettable and unavoidable factor in the decision-making process.
"We work with our patients throughout their care and work closely with them to identify opportunities for financial assistance," he continued. "Our clinical team maintains an ongoing dialogue with patients about their eligibility, holding frequent in-person meetings and informing patients in-person to make sure they understand their specific situation."
And as Martin's letter became more and more publicized, donations to his GoFundMe page increased. Since Monday morning, the page has raised more than $ 15,000 – now with a new target of $ 20,000. One person even made a donation of $ 5,000, while another gave $ 1,000, says the page.
A friend of Martin said the woman "wanted to live," according to Fox17. Martin expressed this tenacity in a written statement to MLive.
"I will get better," she wrote, "and I will fight to my last breath against injustice and greed in our health and pharmacy sectors."
Americans collect about $ 650 million a year from about 250,000 GoFundMe pages to pay for medical expenses, according to Fortune.
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