Casey McIntyre was only 38 when she died of stage four ovarian cancer on November 12. The New Yorker was a wife, mother to an 18-month-old daughter named Grace, and a children’s book publisher. She arranged to have a note posted on social media after her death. She explained her goal “to buy up others’ medical debt and then destroy the debt.” So far, her fund has raised almost $1 million.
McIntyre set up her fundraiser on RIP Medical Debt. The nonprofit looks for struggling households with medical debts that are at least 5% or more of the family’s annual income. Many medical facilities will lower a bill if someone can pay more upfront. RIP buys medical debt in bundles “at a fraction of the original cost.” A dollar donated to RIP can cover $100 of debt.
While McIntyre had excellent medical coverage, many Americans do not. A 2022 survey reports around 16 million people in the United States owe at least $1,000 in medical debt. Around three million owe more than $10,000. McIntyre’s appeal for a “debt jubilee” will cancel close to $100 million in debt.
McIntyre found out she had ovarian cancer in 2019. She and her husband, Andrew Gregory, were sitting in a hospital waiting room in March last year. They saw a video about Trinity Moravian Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, while scrolling the internet. The church teamed up with RIP and wiped out $3.3 million in medical debt. RIP sent letters to 3,355 families letting them know their outstanding medical bills were gone.
Reverend John Jackman is the pastor at Trinity Moravian. He said in an interview with the Winston-Salem Journal, “It’s a perfect real-world parable for what God does for us.”
McIntyre and her husband vowed to follow the church’s example. Gregory will write part of the letter that goes to those who will enjoy a debt jubilee because of his wife’s fundraiser.
A medical professional once told the couple how “sad” her situation was. The comment infuriated McIntyre. In an interview with The New York Times, Gregory remembered his wife saying to him, “I don’t have a sad life. I have a happy life. I have you, I have Grace, I have my friends and family, I live in the perfect apartment that we dreamed up together.”
“To see that Casey’s good and happy life is continuing in this way is very beautiful to me,” Gregory says.
Look up the word “jubilee” in the Bible. Why do you think Casey McIntyre called her effort a “debt jubilee”?
Why? Every person’s life leaves a legacy. Casey McIntyre chose to embrace gratitude and service to others in her final days.
