My name is Sheenika Toussaint and I am 22 years-old. I live with my mother who is 45, my father who is 48, my two sisters who are 16 and 21 years old. I have lived in Miami, my entire life. I live with a condition known as Multiple Sclerosis and I need hospital care when I begin to lose my balance and vision.

I have sought emergency hospital care six times since my diagnosis. I knew that I would not be able to pay the medical bills I incurred. I informed the hospital that I was unemployed and did not have any health insurance. I asked if I could apply for financial assistance. The hospital would not even let me apply because my father makes more than $24,000 a year.

My medical debt is close to $10,000. I owe money to Bascom Palmer and Jackson Memorial Hospital North and South. Recently, my medical debt and the inability to resolve it has caused my family a great deal of stress, my mother in particular. My mother is disabled and becoming ill due to the stress she endures as a result of the phone calls we receive daily from collection agencies. My father is the only member in our household who is working which makes it impossible for me to repay my debt at this moment.