A Total and Complete Victory

This is one of my favorite times of year. It’s more than the smell of hyacinths or this year, being able to wear my sandals in Ohio in March. It’s Passion Play season, and even watching my family and friends in rehearsal, I’m overcome with the reality of Christ’s love for us.

But I’m human and sometimes my mind argues I need more than love. I need proof. Action. Things done. Mountains moved. And if that’s you, I thought I’d share some of those kind of stories with you. They are true because they are my stories.

Today is about a total and complete victory.

When our daughter was a baby and toddler, she was chronically sick. So much so as a baby she required 80 hours of therapy a month through her first five years. Most of those years she received it as a special needs student in a pre-school, but there was a toddler year where our insurance covered it. Or so we thought.

One day I received a form letter explaining that over $8k of therapies were not covered. I appealed and they said, ask again, with a doctor’s letter.  So I did. I received a paragraph letting me know I was denied once again.

At the same time the hospital where the therapies took place were sending bills. They were one of the first establishments in our area to show signs of the economy falling, and they were in deep financial trouble. They didn’t have time for people not to pay bills. They needed every cent as much as we did.

But I called and explained.

When I prayed about it, one phrase kept coming back and back and back to me.

Total and complete victory.

Usually after three or more times of hearing a phrase, seeing a message, piece of Scripture, some kind of visual—I don’t think it’s coincidence. I’m paying attention.

Close attention, in fact.

In between filing appeals, copying statements, visiting politicians and doctors for help, and yes, taking care of the little one and her older brother, I decided I needed to define that four word statement. And to me, total and complete victory meant I was going to get an apology from the insurance provider.

Kind of like a Christian Erin Brockovich, if you will.

Each hour I worked on the appeals I fantasized about the victory. They were going to apologize and lift me as an example of how they forgot the patient in their day to day mission statement.

By the time I filed for the third appeal, I was bold on the outside, but deep down, in that honest place few want to really investigate, I was scared to death. I printed so many statements, 700+ pages worth, our printer died. The stress I put on myself was so much that a year later I went in for a hysterectomy. I’m sure I accelerated that need with all the work and bitterness I put forth with the insurance issues. Anyway, when I put the last appeal in the mail, I knew this was it. There were no more appeals after this.

So total and complete victory, I needed that definition to show itself.

Yesterday.

And in less than forty-eight hours after the hearing, a one paragraph letter from our insurance came in the mail.

Want to know more?

Did they apologize?

Did total and complete victory every materialize?

Why does Julie Arduini do this to us?

Well I’ll share the conclusion tomorrow. Trust me, it is worth waiting for.  If you know someone who is struggling, why not send them here? I’m praying this two-part blog post encourages many.

Including you!