My parents refused to pay $85,000 to save my son…

“Honey, we understand this is difficult, but we’ve already helped you so much over the years. We paid for three of his surgeries. We can’t just empty our retirement accounts.”

“I’m not asking you to empty them.

I’m asking for a loan. I’ll pay you back every penny. I’ll get a second job.

I’ll do whatever it takes.”

My father shook his head. “Emily, you’re barely keeping your head above water as it is. How would you pay us back?

Be sensible. There are payment plans, medical financing options. You should look into those.”

I had looked into them.

I had spent weeks researching every possible avenue. The payment plans would take too long. Ethan did not have years to wait.

The medical financing companies wanted interest rates that would bury me for decades, and most would not approve me anyway because I was already drowning in medical debt. “I’ve tried everything.”