A radiology technician in his native Honduras, Dennis Euceda, 28, knew he had broken his arm when he fell while on a bicycle ride in his current home state of Florida. Because he was awaiting documentation to show his United States residency, the accident sent Dennis’s head spinning with concerns about medical costs and deportation.
“Someone saw I was hurt and asked if they should call 9-1-1. I could tell I had fractured a bone, so there was no escaping a trip to the hospital,” Dennis explained in Spanish.
He was taken by ambulance to Jackson North Medical Center and remained there for three days. “I had to wait for an orthopedic doctor to be available because I needed surgery,” he said.
Dennis recalls he felt like he was going to lose everything.
“I was very worried about the financial damage this accident was going to cause. With every medication and treatment I signed off on, I would try to tally the possible costs in my head: ‘They’re going to charge me this, they’re going to charge me that,’” he remembers.
He knew he’d be unable to work his construction job for some time. He also feared the hospital might report that he didn’t present his US residency forms, which he was waiting to receive, and that he’d be pushed out of the country altogether.
Although Florida legislation signed into law in May 2023 does require hospitals that work with Medicaid to ask patients about their immigration status, Dennis said he brought up his pending documentation to medical staff first and didn’t encounter any issues in getting treatment.
But concerns related to his status and medical costs led Dennis to avoid seeing a professional for physical therapy while in recovery. Instead, he looked up YouTube videos to do physical therapy on his own, he said.
“I removed my own cast,” Dennis added. “I didn’t want to return to the hospital and rack up more debt.”
By the time his cast came off, Dennis had already been receiving calls and mail regarding medical bills. “I got billed [about] $39,000 for my hospital stay. Then I got a bill for the anesthesia during my surgery for $2,000. Everything totaled approximately $60,000,” he said.
Feeling the pressure of his new debt, Dennis said he began searching “How to pay medical bills” and “Viable ways to pay off medical debt” online. That’s how he found Dollar For.
“I answered a few questions for Dollar For and was told I qualified for assistance,” Dennis recalls.
About four months had passed and Dennis had started working as a gas station attendant. Because he often got out of work late, he said he couldn’t take phone calls, but would answer emails and texts from Dollar For and follow up with the hospital following its written instructions.
“I think I delayed the process because I couldn’t answer my phone at work… But I first contacted Dollar For in January 2024 and by April 2024, I received notice that my hospital bill was cleared,” Dennis stated.
With a laugh, he recalled he cried tears of joy when he saw he owed $0. “I felt such relief,” he said.
For Dennis, being free of that debt meant he could focus on paying other bills and also continue to financially help his family in Honduras — mainly his sister, who was ill, Dennis shared.
“This experience really changed my way of thinking. I want to help others that may be going to similar situations, even if it’s just letting them know that organizations like Dollar For exist. I want to pay it forward,” Dennis said.