Editor’s note: This information was published in the December 2023 issue of Heartfelt Magazine, CHM’s monthly magazine that provides CHM membership-related tips and tricks, testimonies from CHM members, and more. Please refer to the CHM Guidelines and applicable web pages for the most up-to-date information regarding CHM membership, sharing eligibility, and ministry news.
While visiting my family in rural Kansas, I felt a sudden pain in my leg. Even after an ER visit followed by two doctor visits, my condition continued to worsen until it affected my entire leg. I was diagnosed with an arterial blood clot and had emergency surgery that left me in the hospital for a week.
My doctors were puzzled why someone with my health history would have an arterial blood clot. Several weeks after I was discharged from the hospital and an extensive battery of blood tests later, they found a genetic blood disorder called Factor V Leiden. This blood clotting disorder was lying dormant in my body, and doctors believed that the side effects of COVID-19 along with the blood mutation were enough to trigger my clotting.
I spent a year on blood thinner, and I gradually regained almost all the sensation in my right foot, which had significant nerve damage due to loss of circulation for such a long period of time.
For a person in good health, it was a frightening experience. It’s sobering to confront your own mortality, even with the confidence of knowing the Lord.
Our days are in His hands. He was faithful to provide in countless ways during this time. We’re self-employed and work in a support-based ministry. Our out-of-pocket costs with traditional insurance would have been astronomical. Additionally, given the rural area where the incident originally happened, with insurance, I would’ve most certainly been considered out-of-network.
When we first moved away from traditional medical insurance, I was skeptical. But now I’m grateful for the flexibility and stability CHM, which is not insurance, offered us. With CHM, we were able to get all the medical care we needed for a conclusive diagnosis.
It can be a lot to keep up with the paperwork of extensive health events like mine, and there were some providers who were less accommodating than others. But we were able to walk through each question with the CHM staff and they shared 100% of our eligible medical bills.
Looking back after this incident, CHM is definitely the best option for our family. We feel good about sharing costs with like-minded Christians instead of pouring resources into a broken healthcare system.
