Profile: Ruth
Could you come up with $100,000 to save your life? That's the challenge our patient Ruth was facing.
It was a big thing for me that someone actually cared… They saved my life! … It showed me that people don’t have to stop their dreams because they don’t have money.
—Ruth , Life-saving medication
The cost of saving a life
When Ruth began feeling ill and suffering pain in her arms and legs, her doctor ordered a panel of blood tests that revealed that Ruth had Hepatitis C — a condition that can be fatal if left untreated. But when Ruth was referred to a local treatment center, she was rejected as a patient because she had no insurance and couldn’t pay for the medication. Imagine how she felt when she was sent home without the treatment she needed to save her life!
But how could she afford the $100,000 treatment without insurance? What hope did she have?
That’s when health care coordinated by Project Access Northwest made all the difference… Ruth was approved for her life-saving care — at no cost to her. Support from donors like you made that possible.
“It was a big thing for me that someone actually cared,” Ruth says gratefully. “I was in shock. They saved my life! … It showed me that people don’t have to stop their dreams because they don’t have money.”
After completing her treatment, Ruth is feeling healthy and optimistic. She is caring for her two school-age girls at home and making plans to go back to work. She may even go back to school to pursue a new career.