When Ariana was 4 years old, she experienced neck and back symptoms. Her mom took her to multiple specialists, who performed a myriad of tests and imaging on her. She underwent an unnecessary back surgery, was placed in traction, and was misdiagnosed multiple times. Ariana’s mom missed so much work during this time that she lost her job, which was providing Ariana’s medical insurance.

They were able to get Ariana covered under her father’s insurance, but there was a small gap in coverage since the family could not afford COBRA. Ariana’s mom was able to find another job but had to work part-time, in the evenings only, so she could be home to care for Ariana during the day. The medical bills were piling up, and they were falling behind in all of their bills due to the reduced income. Ariana’s symptoms continued to worsen and spread to other areas of her body.