My husband needs to have two discs replaced, so of course he needs the one operation our health insurance doesn’t cover. Oh well. That means we’ll end up with a huge medical bill, and have to use vacation money for the next few years to pay it off. It turns out that
- their estimated costs are doubled what we estimated they would be
- we don’t take that many vacations, certainly not enough to pay this thing off any time soon
- the doctor wants to be paid in full before he starts
- the hospital wants half upfront
They stopped being helpful with scheduling the surgery when the prospect of insurance paying dried up. This is when our brilliant cherub stepped in and set up a GoFundMe page: https://bit.ly/2GYYIU7 requesting help raising the funds for her father’s operation. When I say our daughter is brilliant, I mean it!
The outpouring of love produced by this endeavor has been amazing, but what’s been surprising is the emotional rollercoaster it has generated in me.
When the first donations came in from family members, I felt this weird combination of joy mixed with a deep appreciation. Their messages acknowledged how much my husband has helped them over the years, and they saw their donations as thank-you’s.
Then some names showed up that I didn’t recognize… friends of my daughter who wanted to support her during this stressful time. That warmed my soul to know she has such a loving generous group of friends.
The gifts that brought tears to my eyes were from people whose donation was accompanied by an apology for not being able to offer I don’t know how to tell them how much their desire to sacrifice for our sake matters to us. The mere fact that they want to give is an incredible present all by itself.
My heart ached from the emails we received outside of the GoFundMe platform apologizing for not being able to give money due to difficult circumstances. I suggested they instead send my husband humorous get-well memes which will cost nothing, but will have a positive impact.
What I really want to do is zoom through the Internet, hug all the apologizers, and give them a little nudge to help them recognize the gift they have already created by reaching out in the first place.
You never know how you touch other people’s lives. Children we coached in basketball fifteen years ago (now no longer children), and their b-ball parents, have reached out. It’s exciting to reconnect, even under these circumstances.
Then there are the very large donations. Yes, of course I’m thrilled when I see them, but then it’s followed by a bizarre feeling about whether it’s proper to accept it or not.
Weird, right? Of course it’s appropriate to accept. We asked for help, and they are giving it. Period. That’s my head talking. Nevertheless, one gift was so large, my emotions prompted a call to the donor to make sure it hadn’t been an accidental typo. It wasn’t. Did I feel embarrassed? Slightly. Relieved? Definitely!
Yes, unexpectedly my feelings are running the entire gamut, and this is only the first day of the GoFundMe I can hardly wait to see what tomorrow brings.
