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NPR’s Ari Shapiro speaks with Andrew Gregory about his late spouse, Casey McIntyre, and the medical debt cancellation fund she arrange earlier than she died earlier in November of ovarian most cancers.
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Casey McIntyre was 38 years outdated when she died final week from ovarian most cancers. After her dying, a notice she’d written was posted on social media. It began, to my pals, when you’re studying this, I’ve handed away. The put up contained pictures of her along with her household, her husband, Andrew Gregory, and their 18-month-old daughter, Grace. It continues, to rejoice my life, I’ve organized to purchase up others’ medical debt after which destroy the debt. Greater than 4 in 10 American households owe medical debt. The nonprofit group RIP Medical Debt is working to scale back that. For each greenback donated, they relieve as much as 100 {dollars} of medical debt. They purchase the debt hundreds of thousands of {dollars} at a time at a fraction of the unique value. McIntyre included a hyperlink to the fund she arrange with RIP Medical Debt in her honor, and as of at this time, it has raised greater than $600,000, canceling round $60 million of medical debt. Nicely, to inform us extra about Casey and her debt cancellation marketing campaign, we’re joined by her husband, Andrew Gregory. Andrew, thanks for talking with us on this Thanksgiving, and I am sorry to your loss.
ANDREW GREGORY: Thanks. I actually admire you having me on.
SHAPIRO: Earlier than we discuss in regards to the marketing campaign, are you able to give us a snapshot of what Casey was like? As I used to be studying her posthumous put up, her humorousness actually got here by means of.
GREGORY: Casey was very, very, very humorous. She was only a hilarious lady. From our very first date, she was cracking me up, and I used to be cracking her up. And we by no means stopped laughing even whereas, frankly, you understand, she was struggling along with her analysis of stage 4 ovarian most cancers for 4 years. After I look again at that, it is fairly outstanding.
SHAPIRO: She had good medical insurance coverage. And so this fundraising marketing campaign is to not repay her medical debt, however she was very conscious that so many individuals within the nation wouldn’t have entry to excellent care. When did she turn out to be captivated with that? Was there some sort of private connection to the trigger?
GREGORY: , she labored as a writer at Penguin Random Home, so she had this actually wonderful company insurance coverage. However frankly, like, as Casey met different most cancers sufferers, like, on Instagram, on Twitter, different younger sufferers with ovarian most cancers – as a result of it is very uncommon to have ovarian most cancers while you’re as younger as Casey was identified at 34 – individuals are taking a look at private chapter. Persons are taking a look at deciding whether or not they’ll obtain care. Persons are taking a look at which payments they’ll cease paying for his or her care. And Case and I have been simply keenly conscious, each of us, that our payments weren’t zero, however they have been a lot nearer to zero. They have been doable for us. The opposite folks have been simply being financially destroyed.
SHAPIRO: Was there one dialog the 2 of you had the place she mentioned, that is what I need my legacy to be after I am gone; that is what I wish to occur?
GREGORY: , final March, we noticed a video on-line that was somewhat little bit of a viral put up the place a Moravian church in Winston-Salem, N.C., not too removed from the place I grew up, burned $3 million of debt. And one factor they did that was actually cool is all native debt. They’ve destroyed the entire medical debt in Yadkin County, N.C. And I simply suppose that’s actually cool. And I confirmed that put up to Casey, and so they had performed it by means of RIP Medical Debt as effectively. And Casey and I simply – I feel we noticed it whereas we have been in Memorial Sloan Kettering’s ready room. You are simply in there scrolling all day lengthy whilst you’re ready for chemotherapy to begin. And Casey and I mentioned, that is going to be certainly one of our month-to-month donations. , we have now a pair charities we give to. We’ll give to RIP Medical Debt.
And Casey got here very, very near dying across the finish of Might. And whereas she was within the hospital, we got here to an settlement that that is what we have been going to do. And Casey was very enthusiastic about it. And she or he acquired out of the hospital, which – we have been very fortunate that she did. She entered dwelling hospice on the suggestion of her oncologist, and we have been actually fortunate that she lived for six months. There’s – you know the way generally you are brushing your enamel with a cherished one and, like, rapidly you may have a a lot realer dialog than you often would have since you’re brushing your enamel for some cause? Like, originally of July, we have been brushing our enamel, and Casey checked out me rapidly and was like, did you suppose I would be alive in July? And I used to be like, no, positively not. Did you suppose you would be alive? And she or he was like, oh, no, positively not. We might by no means talked about it in June – by no means. However…
SHAPIRO: Wow.
GREGORY: , it was simply luck that some points she was coping with that actually appeared like she would reside for 2 or three weeks when she acquired out of the hospital cleared up, and he or she was in a position to reside till November 12.
SHAPIRO: And she or he was 38 years outdated. Yeah. Do you suppose she might have imagined that this is able to have gone as viral because it has and lift as a lot cash because it has raised?
GREGORY: I don’t suppose Casey might have presumably imagined this response, the worldwide press protection it is gotten at the same time as I feel she would have thought that will have gotten some discover. However it’s simply wild to me, and I feel it could imply wild to her that she is wiping greater than $60 million of medical debt off the slate. That is – it is unbelievable to me. And I feel it could have been unbelievable to her.
SHAPIRO: Do you may have any approach of figuring out who you have helped? I imply, clearly, $60 million of medical debt, give or take, is lots of people. Do you may have any approach of figuring out who’s affected?
GREGORY: Nicely, I used to be in a position to discuss to the CEO of RIP Medical Debt, Allison Sesso. And one factor that is actually – that actually blew me away is I mentioned to her, like, hey. We set this up as a nationwide marketing campaign. Would it not be doable to set – like, perhaps shift it to be extra like New York Metropolis? – as a result of Casey was such a consummate New Yorker. And Allison mentioned, Andrew, like, that is an excessive amount of medical debt for New York Metropolis, for us to purchase. Like, we have now to do a much bigger space. And she or he additionally mentioned – and I do not know what I will say. However she mentioned, there’s going to be a letter. Like, every certainly one of these folks will get a letter within the mail that claims, your debt is gone. Like, you are freed from this debt. And she or he mentioned, you may get to write down a part of that letter, Andrew. So I am going to have to consider what Casey would have wished to say.
SHAPIRO: So every of these folks…
GREGORY: Yeah.
SHAPIRO: …Will find out about your late spouse.
GREGORY: Yeah.
SHAPIRO: Have you considered what you are going to say in that letter?
GREGORY: I feel I am going to strive to attract from what she mentioned in her final put up and a few of what I’ve written about her, you understand, that individuals can discover within the obituary that I put up on-line.
SHAPIRO: Do you wish to go away us with one different Casey anecdote?
GREGORY: I’ll, and that is one thing that her mother advised me final evening. Casey usually advised me, as a writer and a publicist, that the crown jewel – you may suppose I am buttering you up. However she actually mentioned the crown jewel of any e book publicity marketing campaign was being on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED, Ari. And…
SHAPIRO: (Laughter) Andrew, I didn’t anticipate you to recollect your late spouse with flattery for this program.
GREGORY: However as a younger publicist, her mother mentioned that she remembers the day that she known as her the primary time that she was on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. And she or he and her mother cried on the telephone, figuring out that it is a massive second in Casey’s profession, that she’d gotten a e book on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. And I feel it is extraordinary that Casey’s marketing campaign has reached so many, that Casey’s humorousness has reached so many. And, you understand, thanks for serving to it proceed to succeed in extra folks, Ari.
SHAPIRO: Nicely, as a publicist, that dialog seemingly by no means talked about her, was not about her. And I am glad to have the ability to have a dialog that’s. Andrew Gregory talking there about his late spouse Casey McIntyre’s medical debt cancellation fund. Andrew, thanks, and pleased Thanksgiving.
GREGORY: Thanks for having me.
SHAPIRO: And when you go to the web page RIP Medical Debt, you will discover the marketing campaign for Casey McIntyre.
(SOUNDBITE OF NITSUA SONG, “NEW TOMORROW (FEAT. SALEEM AND TOPIX)”)
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