I was downtown with my family at Tomato Head. That’s when I noticed the sick look on Carl’s face. Carl is my nine year old son. His face went while and it almost looked like he was choking. It would have made sense had we eaten anything yet. But we had just ordered our meals. I could tell there was something wrong before we even got there because of how quiet he was.

So I rushed Carl over to the emergency room at The Children’s Hospital. We left my husband and two kids behind at Tomato Head. He was puking blood and food. I was trying to keep it together, but as a mom I was so frightened. When we got to the hospital Carl had to get his appendix taken out. They did the operation as soon as they knew.

When I got the bill I was told that my insurance would not cover the operation at all. What they claimed was that I had let the surgery happen and so I have to pay. I don’t have the best credit and I certainly don’t have the money for it. But I found a way to pay for it with a car title loan. I still get to keep my car, the application was easy to fill out and I got a callback right away so I could get the money I needed.

Carl is doing fine now. He’s back out playing sports with his friends after school and doing what nine year olds should be.

-Jill L.

Knoxville, Tennessee