When a simple act like eating causes unbearable pain, you should be able to get the treatment your doctor prescribes without a greedy private company getting in the way.

Carly Morton, 29, from Beaver, Pennsylvania, doesn’t remember a time when she could eat without feeling immense pain. After years of doctor visits, tests, and hospitalizations, Carly’s doctors diagnosed her with neurogenic Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (nMALS) in November 2022.

The pain that this condition causes is compared by physicians to end-stage pancreatic cancer and is accompanied by symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. The condition makes it impossible for Carly to eat, so she must use nutritional assistance, such as feeding tubes and TPN - which inserts nutrition directly into her veins.

Unfortunately, such insertions come with a high chance of contracting deadly septic infections, which Carly suffered through not once but twice. Carly has a long history of chronic illness, and currently has 22 diagnoses total. She is immunocompromised, and her health and financial challenges make these infections even more dangerous.

Although Carly’s health insurance provider, United Healthcare, made $20.1 billion in 2022 alone, they have not committed to pay full freight for the procedure her surgeon says she needs - making it impossible for her to move forward in getting the only treatment available for the disease - corrective open stomach surgery.

That leaves Carly with no other chances at living a normal, pain-free life. Because of her septic infections and complex medical situation, Carly is faced with a 62.1% five-year mortality rate, meaning she has a significant chance of losing her medical battle. One of the main things that increases her chances of survival is being able to properly nourish herself with real food, gain back muscle and strength, and build up her immune system so that it can adequately fight off infections. Unfortunately, she cannot do this if she is unable to eat and drink. The surgery Carly needs is estimated to cost around $50,000 - a procedure she can’t afford on her $934 monthly Social Security checks. Without insurance coverage, Carly will be unable to obtain surgery and will be faced with a bleak and painful life and future.