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Casey McIntyre was 38 years outdated when she died final week from ovarian most cancers.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 loss of life, a be aware she’d written was posted on social media. It began, to my mates, in the event you’re studying this, I’ve handed away. The submit contained pictures of her together with her household, her husband, Andrew Gregory, and their 18-month-old daughter, Grace. It continues, to have a good time 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 tens of millions of {dollars} at a time at a fraction of the unique price. McIntyre included a hyperlink to the fund she arrange with RIP Medical Debt in her honor, and as of right now, 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 concerning the marketing campaign, are you able to give us a snapshot of what Casey was like? As I used to be studying her posthumous submit, her humorousness actually got here by means of.
GREGORY: Casey was very, very, very humorous. She was only a hilarious girl. 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 already know, she was struggling together 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 should not have entry to excellent care. When did she turn out to be keen about that? Was there some type 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 whenever you’re as younger as Casey was identified at 34 – persons are private chapter. Persons are deciding whether or not they may obtain care. Persons are which payments they may 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 individuals have been simply being financially destroyed.
SHAPIRO: Was there one dialog the 2 of you had the place she stated, 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 a bit little bit of a viral submit 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 assume that’s actually cool. And I confirmed that submit to Casey, they usually had carried out 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 stated, that is going to be certainly one of our month-to-month donations. , now we have a pair charities we give to. We will 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 he or she acquired out of the hospital, which – we have been very fortunate that she did. She entered residence hospice on the suggestion of her oncologist, and we have been actually fortunate that she lived for six months. There’s – you understand how typically you are brushing your enamel with a cherished one and, like, unexpectedly you have got a a lot realer dialog than you normally 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 unexpectedly and was like, did you assume I might be alive in July? And I used to be like, no, positively not. Did you assume you would be alive? And he or she was like, oh, no, positively not. We would 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 basically appeared like she would stay for 2 or three weeks when she acquired out of the hospital cleared up, and she or he was capable of stay till November 12.
SHAPIRO: And he or she was 38 years outdated. Yeah. Do you assume she may have imagined that this could have gone as viral because it has and lift as a lot cash because it has raised?
GREGORY: I don’t assume Casey may have probably 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. Nevertheless it’s simply wild to me, and I feel it will 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 will have been unbelievable to her.
SHAPIRO: Do you have got any means of figuring out who you’ve got helped? I imply, clearly, $60 million of medical debt, give or take, is lots of people. Do you have got any means of figuring out who’s affected?
GREGORY: Nicely, I used to be capable of discuss to the CEO of RIP Medical Debt, Allison Sesso. And one factor that is actually – that basically blew me away is I stated to her, like, hey. We set this up as a nationwide marketing campaign. Would it not be potential to set – like, possibly shift it to be extra like New York Metropolis? – as a result of Casey was such a consummate New Yorker. And Allison stated, Andrew, like, that is an excessive amount of medical debt for New York Metropolis, for us to purchase. Like, now we have to do a much bigger space. And he or she additionally stated – and I do not know what I’ll say. However she stated, there’s going to be a letter. Like, every certainly one of these individuals will get a letter within the mail that claims, your debt is gone. Like, you are freed from this debt. And he or she stated, you may get to jot 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 individuals…
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 attempt to attract from what she stated in her final submit and a few of what I’ve written about her, you already know, that individuals can discover within the obituary that I put up on-line.
SHAPIRO: Do you wish to depart us with one different Casey anecdote?
GREGORY: I’ll, and that is one thing that her mother instructed me final evening. Casey usually instructed me, as a writer and a publicist, that the crown jewel – you may assume I am buttering you up. However she actually stated 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 stated that she remembers the day that she known as her the primary time that she was on ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. And he or she and her mother cried on the telephone, figuring out that this can be 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 already know, thanks for serving to it proceed to succeed in extra individuals, Ari.
SHAPIRO: Nicely, as a publicist, that dialog probably 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 blissful Thanksgiving.
GREGORY: Thanks for having me.
SHAPIRO: And in the event you go to the web page RIP Medical Debt, you could find the marketing campaign for Casey McIntyre.
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