Jorja: Southport, NC

Jorja was an energetic 3-year-old, but when her energy level suddenly dropped in 2017, her family knew something was wrong. One day, when she complained of dizziness, her family took her to urgent care, where the doctors sent them to the nearest children’s hospital. That’s when Jorja was diagnosed with leukemia. 

The first month of treatment was intense, and Jorja’s immune system was severely weakened. She caught a life-threatening infection which required two surgeries to treat. For five months after that, she had to take daily antibiotics that were $500 per pill.

Jorja had private health insurance, but it didn’t cover everything she needed, and her family was quickly falling into debt and struggling to pay their bills. Her father, Ben, couldn’t work as many hours since the drive to the children’s hospital was three hours each way and he eventually lost his job. 

When the debt became unmanageable, Ben applied for Medicaid, and soon, Jorja was approved. The coverage backdated to the beginning of Jorja’s illness, and her family suddenly had $250,000 of medical bills paid off. “It was a huge burden lifted to know that that’s taken care of, and we could focus on taking care of our kid,” Ben said.

Jorja’s treatment requires two years of chemotherapy. In order to have more flexibility to be with Jorja during her treatment, Ben started his own architecture business. “Medicaid allowed me to take that step,” Ben said. “We knew Jorja would be covered.” 

Special thanks to Family Reach for their partnership.