I have to keep working through stage 4 so that I have insurance that will cover medical expenses.

I used my savings, borrowed money from my parents, and took out a personal loan to pay the up-front cost, then did a payment plan with my surgeon for the rest.
Surgery was expensive (insurance covered the hospital stay but I had to pay the surgeon out of pocket), and I had to travel and stay in a hotel for a couple weeks (also expensive), but I would do it again, and will, when it comes time to address my thoracic endo. I want to go to the experts, not have someone inexperienced mess with my endo and potentially cause more damage.

This may, I discovered there was a 2+ year waiting list in Canada for excision surgery and felt I could not wait that long because of how much pain I was in, unable to work and struggling with my studies. I thought there was No way I’d be able to afford surgery internationally, but I found Dr. k in Greece through  icarebetter in June and booked my  Skype consultation. I was pleasantly surprised by the quote he gave me and how affordable The surgery was compared to quotes I had seen in other places. I talked things over with my family and they agreed to pay for my surgery, knowing how critical this surgery was for me. When I shared my story, other friends chipped in to help financially also. I had my first ( and hopefully last) surgery in Athens with dr. k on Sept 15th and have never looked back. I’m so grateful and do not take for granted the financial support of my parents and friends and hope others can find a way for themselves, too!