CaringWays® Spotlight: Kristi Morrow, President & Founder
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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11
This verse is one our President and Co-Founder, Kristi Morrow, lives by. Hope and a future can feel unattainable when you’re in the midst of a crisis, something Kristi knows from personal experience. But it’s a verse that Kristi has clung to, and it contains a truth that motivated her to start CaringWays®.
As you can read in her bio, Kristi’s background in the financial industry is extensive. She’s always had her “ducks in a row” by holding a good-paying job, having insurance coverage, setting aside adequate savings to weather rainy days, and living within her means. But when Kristi’s husband was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer in August of 2015, he was unable to continue working. The cost of treatment was enormous. Coupled with the loss of an income, it became a huge hardship and a significant source of stress for Kristi and her husband.
When you receive a cancer diagnosis, doctors tell you to keep your stress levels low. It’s hard to keep stress under control when you’re receiving medical bills for tens of thousands of dollars!
Kristi’s husband passed away 13 months after his cancer diagnosis, but he lives on in the work she’s carrying out today.
A medical crisis paired with financial stress is a burden no one should have to carry, but it’s a reality thousands of people face every day. For the majority of her career, Kristi’s work has centered around medical economics. She’s watched many people struggle to both understand and afford the cost of healthcare.
“I have seen the financial hardship of both patients and providers because of healthcare costs and the inability of people to pay them.”
Witnessing that struggle, in combination with her own personal experience, led directly to the creation of CaringWays®. The innovative platform puts control back in the hands of patients. It facilitates the direct payment of medical costs by friends and family who contribute to a fundraising campaign. It’s a platform that helps people focus on the fight, not the finances.
Throughout her career, Kristi has witnessed the devastating effects of medical bills. She’s seen families forced to choose between food and medication, individuals halting treatment to avoid going bankrupt, and even couples getting divorced, not because they’re unhappy, but in order to secure an increased level of financial support for the patient. These realities are what Kristi hopes to eliminate through CaringWays®.
My hope is that CaringWays® gives people the ability to focus on the important things in life, like their health and spending quality time with loved ones, not medical bills.
To learn more about how CaringWays® works and to meet our other co-founders, click here.
