Abigail Rang is an achiever. Since earning her degree in business management, she’s founded two businesses: a social media content producer and a socially conscious clothing company. At home in South Dakota, she finds plenty of time to care for her foster pets, two dogs and a cat. She and her fiancé are planning a wedding next fall. “I’m too busy, sometimes,” she told us, laughing.
Life didn’t always feel so bright. Almost a year ago, Abigail began to experience fainting episodes that quickly became more frequent and severe. Hospital bills started to pile up, and Abigail’s condition made it almost impossible to manage them.
By September, Abigail had accumulated $2,000 of medical debt. She began to battle depression. “I literally didn’t want to do anything,” she says. “I left my house maybe twice in six months.” When Abigail’s mother spotted Dollar For on TikTok, she and Abigail’s fiancé didn’t hesitate.
Dollar For’s eligibility form only took about five minutes to submit online. After seeing that Abigail was eligible for assistance, the family filled out a second form, giving Dollar For all the information needed to submit a financial assistance application. From there, a Patient Advocate, a member of the Dollar For team trained to guide and support people seeking medical debt relief, submitted the application and followed up on her case.
In early May, Abigail got a call from the staff at her local hospital, Avera St. Luke’s, letting her know they had forgiven all of her medical debt. For Abigail, it was a life-changing moment. “It had been such a weight on me for so long,” she said. “I was really happy for the first time since August.”
After hearing the news, Abigail says, she felt strong enough to begin living her life again. Soon, she had founded her first business, a clothing company that promotes awareness of hidden illnesses and disabilities. She started to reach out to people in similar situations to hers, knowing they might struggle to find support.
Today, Abigail continues to receive care at Avera St. Luke’s, where all of her bills continue to be forgiven through the charity care program. She’s happy to be working to change the stigma around invisible illnesses, ensuring that more people can access the same kind of support she did. She even plans to become a volunteer for Dollar For.
“You’re not alone, that’s what I tell everyone I talk to,” Abigail says. “It sounds cliché, but it does get better.”