She's been on both sides of the hospital bed.

I was the person families called. Then I was the family with nobody to call.

For 13 years I was the hospital social worker, the one at the bedside explaining what happens next. Then 10 years in medical billing, on the other end, where the money decisions actually get made.

Then my husband had a medical crisis, and I’ve been the wife in that room for more than two years.

Completely different view.

Social work and billing were a job. This is my life, and healthcare moves whether you understand it or not.

I knew every form, every phone number, every workaround. I still had to fight for things that should have been handed to us.

That’s what got me. If it was that hard for me, what is it for a family that’s never seen the inside of any of it?

Six months in, my husband said: I wish we could take everything you know from your social work degree, plus everything you know from medical billing, plus everything we just learned going through this, and use all of it to help other people.

I laughed it off. Yeah, but when would we? We both work full time.

Five days later, I was laid off.

I walked out of that office smiling and said, I know what I’m going to do with the rest of my life. And it’s going to be awesome.

That’s how Healthcare Survival Kit started.

What I do

You can see a crisis coming and you don’t know how to prepare. I build the plan before you need it, so when the call comes you already know your first three moves.

You’re in the middle of it, making huge decisions with half the information and nobody mapping your options. I map them, and I tell you what each one costs you.

You brought your person home and now you’re on your own to keep them safe and rebuild a life. I build the after-plan with you, the one nobody handed you at discharge.

You’re staring at a stack of bills and denials, scared you’re about to pay money you don’t owe. I go through every line and fight what’s wrong until it’s off your bill.

What I don’t do

I’m not a doctor, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or pharmacist. I don’t give medical advice, make diagnoses, run exams, or prescribe medications.

Credentials

Bachelor of Social Work, UNC-Greensboro (Go Spartans) · 13 years as a hospital social worker · 10 years in medical billing.

You shouldn’t need 23 years in healthcare to get what you’re already owed. That’s my job now.