Elkhart family uses crowdfunding to help pay medical bills

ELKHART, Ind. (AP) - When Brent and Heather Zebell learned in February that their son Emerson has a rare disease, they were concerned but also relieved to finally have an answer as to why he'd been sick so often over his first three years.

Doctors diagnosed him with Bruton's Agammaglobulinemia, an immunodeficiency disorder than afflicts one out of every 250,000 people. In essence, Emerson's body doesn't produce antibodies that help him fight off infections.

But the Nappanee couple's relief soon turned to financial stress. Emerson must go to Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis for three-and-a-half hour infusions that cost $7,000 to $10,000 per month. The family already was carrying about $10,000 in unpaid medical costs from his various doctor visits and a surgery.

Brent, who owns a small heating and air conditioning business, and Heather, a hair stylist, make too much money to qualify for Medicaid - just barely. They do have health insurance, but it doesn't pay for everything. A Riley staffer told them that if Heather quit her job, they might become eligible for public assistance.

"No way I was going to let that happen and be one of these people who rely on the government," Brent told The Elkhart Truth (http://bit.ly/1MFxvgC ).

So they did what a growing number of Americans who are facing daunting health care costs are doing. They turned to GoFundMe, a website that lets users tell their stories and solicit donations from others. The Zebells set a goal of $25,000, not really knowing how much money they will need.

They raised about $5,000 on the first day and $10,000 within the first week.

"I feel weird looking at (the GoFundMe site)," Brent said. "I've always worked so hard for everything I have."

Hundreds of people have donated, probably half of them strangers who've seen it shared on Facebook. Heather has been overwhelmed.

"I want to hug everyone, and I feel kind of guilty that I can't show gratitude," she said. "I want to write every one of them a thank-you letter. It's hard for me to accept it."

Since its launch in 2010, people have raised more than $810 million through GoFundMe. About a quarter of that, or about $200 million, has come in the "Medical, Illness & Healing" category, which saw a 293 percent jump in donation volume from 2013 to 2014, GoFundMe spokeswoman Kelsea Little said.

The other most popular GoFundMe categories are education, emergencies, volunteerism, memorials and sports.

Trisha Pierce of Goshen recently turned to GoFundMe seeking help for her friend, Tony Berkey, 52, who has dated her grandmother, Penny Andersan, for 25 years. Berkey worked in maintenance until his heart problems made that no longer possible.

Recently he was getting gas at the Goshen Kroger when he had a heart attack and collapsed. An onlooker who happened to be a retired certified nursing assistant revived him with CPR, and EMTs were able to rush him to IU Health Goshen, where he flatlined twice more and was again resuscitated.

He spent two weeks in a medically induced coma and was brought out of it last week. He now has a tracheotomy in and can't speak, but he can write things down and use a computer.

Berkey lacks health insurance and is now applying for Medicaid. Doctors wanted to send him to a lung specialist in Indianapolis, but that center has declined to accept him because he has no means to pay, Pierce said.

Pierce posted Berkey's story on GoFundMe with a $3,500 goal. So far donations have reached $1,575.

She knows his costs will far exceed $3,500, but her grandmother has now secured power-of-attorney for him and is taking steps to find him more public assistance.

"Anything is awesome to me," Pierce said. "Raising $50 is great. Even hitting $500, even hitting $1,000, was amazing."

Pierce said she hasn't yet been able to communicate with Berkey about the donations, but she knows he's aware because he liked them on Facebook from his hospital bed, and typed, "Thank you, thank you."

This is her second time using GoFundMe. She once raised $945 to help with funeral cost for a coworker's granddaughter who died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

"I think it's an amazing program," she said. "If you think about how donations were made back in the day, people just giving change, that helps, but this is based on your debit or credit card. And the word spreads faster. If you're just putting up signs or boxes around town, not everyone sees that, but something online is way more viral."

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Information from: The Elkhart Truth, http://www.elkharttruth.com