“This is the season for miracles.” I always believed miracles can happen around Christmas. But, I use to think the statement; “this is the season for miracles” was more of a holiday cliché. Until 1 year, I received a Christmas miracle….
Unfortunately, I got laid off from my job and had to pay cobra. Even though I was paying premium prices for insurance, I felt the need to do so. Although I was healthy and didn’t take medication, I didn’t want to be without insurance….I know what life is like with having insurance and living without insurance. After some time, the high cobra prices were putting a strain on my finances and I started to look for other options. I did found a cheaper insurance plan for $199.00 a month. I was thrilled and happy with my decision until the rubber met the road.
One Christmas eve, my family was packing and loading up the car for our road trip to North Carolina. I felt fine and was ready for the 8 hour drive. As I was sitting cozy in the back seat, I drifted off to sleep…..that’s when the drama began. The next thing I remembered I was on a stretcher heading into the hospital. Apparently, I had an isolated seizure in the back seat of the car. My parents rushed me to the nearest hospital, took my insurance card out of my pocket book and register and emitted me quickly. Needless to say, it was a restful holiday for me. I was thankful for being okay and for the concerns from other people.
Then the biggest surprise came, I got a $10,000 bill from the hospital. Yikes! I couldn’t help but think….”I thought I had insurance. Doesn’t that count for anything?” Apparently not because the insurance company went belly up and I didn’t know it. I was freaking out and didn’t know what to do. After the initial shock, I started to come up with a game plan. At first, the only options I thought I had was to take the money out of my 401k and pay an earlier withdrawal penalty or make monthly payments for the next 20 years. Neither option sounded good to me 🙁
So, I bit the bullet and called the hospital payment department. When I told the lady my situation, she suggested I apply for the hospital charity program. Apparently, there were a lot of wealthy people in the surrounding area looking for a tax write off and willing to help people in a tight jam. I submitted my application right away…. would you believe I received a “paid in full” receipt in the mail a few weeks later? 🙂
That moment impacted me a lot. Around Christmas time, I think about my special miracle and I want to do the same for someone else. I make a point to do something incredible to make someone life’s better. In a few years, I want to do something really BIG. I want to be part of the hospital charity program, pay off the layaway bill at a mega-store and start “dear Santa dead letter” operation at a local post office. It would be nice to see those dead “Dear Santa” letters opened and have children Christmas list fulfilled.
In the midst of your busyness of the holiday season, I really hope you remember the real meaning behind the Christmas. I want to encourage you to help someone less needy than yourself and bring a smile to their face. So, if you have a Christmas miracle you want to share it or just want to talk about your holiday plans, and then tell me all about it. I would love to hear all about it. Merry Christmas!
Hugs,
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