12/01/2023
Dear Tree of Life Community,
Please help me help Hannah. Hannah has a mass in her pancreas which is most likely a neuroendocrine tumor causing her stomach pain, bloating, shortness of breath and changes in her blood pressure. At our first visit, she was calm and focused on getting her affairs in order to be able to care for her 90-year-old mother and husband after she passed. She faced her own pain and diagnosis with serenity and acceptance. She told me that she didn’t want to die at home – that would be too much for her husband to bear. She didn’t want to faint in front of her class again – she was worried that would frighten her young students. Her goals were simple and self-less.
I felt warmed by her presence and my heart was heavy with the thought of her passing when I felt certain there was a cure. I decided that even though she only has Medicare Part A (which only covers 80% of hospitalizations), that there must be a way to help her. I asked Dr. Khreiss, a local surgeon who operates on pancreatic masses, to review her case. He agreed that the mass is operable and we would likely cure her by removing it. He offered to operate for free. The bill was to be close to $80,000, but the hospital has agreed to accept just under $40,000 for the operation and the 5-day, expected stay. Unfortunately, even though Hannah has worked as a respiratory therapist and a writing & English as a Second Language teacher her whole life, even though she has saved money and lives frugally in a one room apartment with her husband on her social security, even though she has been a model citizen, mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, teacher and friend – she can’t afford to cover the cost of the first hospital stay ($10,000), much less another $40,000+.
Dr. Hannha Abraham-Shea truly is a remarkable human. She told me that, “The reason I teach at the community college is because of the students. I understand starting college behind; I am a GED to PhD and know the emotions of feeling like a failure, and I know how hard it is for them. I went to college at age 37 with three children in tow. I help students overcome their “I can’t” stories.”
So, I come to you, dear community of loving, empathic hearts – Let’s make this an “I CAN story!” Please help me, help Hannah undergo surgery on December 19th, 2023, the day after the end of the semester (she wanted to put her students first and wait until school was out for break), to remove the mass that is causing her to suffer and may end her life unnecessarily early. The funds received will be used to pay for the current hospital bills, the upcoming surgery and hospital stay, and the follow-up that will be needed after surgery. Thank you for your generous support! Every dollar counts.
I am a family medicine physician practicing in Tucson, AZ, and I will never for… Autumn Stevenson needs your support for Help Hannah -- Humans helping Humans
