Left in limbo Emma’s £31k operations bill goal
AWOMAN from Cheltenham has been left in a state of limbo as she waits for revolutionary surgery to remove a regenerated ovary.
Emma Getvoldsen, 39, is currently in Atlanta, Georgia trying to fundraise £31,000 to pay an existing medical bill from a previous operation which led to complications.
Emma suffers from ovarian remnant syndrome and endometriosis, which causes her ‘excruciating pain’ and discomfort.
A doctor at Northside Hospital in Atlanta ‘has offered to operate on Emma for free’ but the existing bill would need to be paid first.
Emma said: “I’m not flying home until it’s done; it’s very expensive going back and forth and I’m not well enough to fly, the 24 hours it takes puts a lot of strain on me.
“The whole thing is bizarre really. The number of people I’ve had to discuss my ovaries with, I’m not phased by it any more.
“I feel like all I do is constantly plead for more money but the doctor in Atlanta is the only person in the world who can do this.”
There have been a number of fundraising events organised for Emma in the past; in 2017 her friend Sophie Fraenkel swam the length of the English channel, a Gloucestershire Echo reporter walked on fire, and in November 2018 another friend of Emma ran the Athens marathon.
The new fundraiser follows ‘disappointing’ complications that had initially seen Emma set to pay $60,000 before she could receive any more treatment.
Emma, who will celebrate her 40th birthday a week on Tuesday, described the moment she was handed the bill saying: “I had to laugh about it otherwise I would just cry.”
It all started for Emma after she underwent a hysterectomy six years ago, but was told in 2016 her ovaries had ‘regenerated,’ reportedly ‘a one in a million chance.’
She had ‘unsuccessful’ surgery in Bristol in 2016, and flew to Atlanta, USA in 2017 as she was made aware of a revolutionary surgery on offer which could resolve the problem after being told ‘there were no UK doctors who could do it.’
Unfortunately for Emma, complications arose following the operation in Atlanta.
She said: “Me and my mum had to stay in the United States for 10 weeks and have more operations, on a separate issue to the first surgery.
“I contracted a kidney infection during this time and was admitted to ER for two nights.” The stark contrast between American Healthcare and the NHS revealed somewhat after she was handed a bill for $13,500.
Towards the end of 2018 Emma said she discovered her ovary had regenerated following an MRI scan in the UK.
She was told she had a ‘mass’ once more.
In January 2019, Emma made the decision to return to Atlanta.
On January 10, she had a scan for the operation and believed she was given the green light to go ahead. However, four days before pre-op she received a phone call from the finance department at Northside Hospital asking her to pay $100,000 for past surgeries. She said: “I couldn’t believe it. “The hospital said I could receive a discount and only had to pay $83,000 (£64,000). A few days later the Vice president of the hospital contacted me with a full and final offer of $40,000 (£30,000).
“So that is where the situation is at the moment. I can’t go ahead until the money has been paid.”
During this time Emma said: “I am in a fortunate situation in that I have been able able to stay with my mother’s second cousin,” at their property in Decatur which is 45 minutes from the hospital. She added: “They look after me. During our last visit to the United States, me and my mum had to pay for a four-week long stay at a hotel, so it’s nice not to have that expense.”
Emma hopes that she will hit the required target soon, and would like to thank everybody who has donated and helped with fundraising efforts in the past.
The hospital in Atlanta was contacted for a comment, but at the time of writing had not responded.
The fundraising page for Emma can be viewed at gofundme.com/operation-fund-for-emma-getvoldsen phillip.thompson@reachplc.com