My name is Lucie Bingham and I am seeking help for my sister-in-law, Karen King. Her story:

Karen is 62, lives in Knoxville, TN with her adult special needs son in a 2 bedroom home. In February 2022, Karen was barely walking and needed a walker for stability. Finally, through a wonderful ministry in Knoxville called The Interfaith Clinic, she was able to get her knee replaced. Prior to the surgery, she supported herself and her special needs son by working as a Home Health Assistant, sitting with and taking care of elderly adults. Having the knee replacement meant a couple of months out of work, but she was at the point of desperation to stop the pain and weakness.

Her surgery went well, but during her recovery she fell and her wound became infected. During 2022, she ended up having a total of 5 surgeries(knee removal, spacer placed in knee, readjustment of spacer, etc), in-home physical therapy, nursing care, a 6 week stay in a rehab center and many, many prescriptions that were needed to heal the infection. She is no longer able to walk, drive, work, or manage the basic process of daily living without help. As of today, the infection still lingers but the doctors seem to think they may be able to begin the process of reconstructing her knee. She receives a little support from family to help her with her living expenses and some bills. She receives less than $1,400 a month in Social Security and has applied for Government Disability but has not received notification that she will get it yet.

The Interfaith Ministry in Knoxville has helped tremendously with the cost of the medical procedures. Even with that support, her medical bills are insurmountable. She is still responsible for well over $50,000 of bills. The collection agencies have been told not to negotiate since she is already being given such a large discount. She has very little income and an inability to work. She is expected to have more medical procedures that she will also have to pay for over the next 6-12 months.

Karen has Hope in the Lord. She knows God has blessed her and will continue to be with her. She is grateful to the medical staff that has cared for her. She feels the prayers of her family and friends and appreciates all they have done and continue to do for her during this unprecedented and difficult time in her life. She needs continued prayers. She needs to be healed of the infections. She needs a new artificial knee, and she hopes to walk again. She trusts God and knows He will bring her through this. Your support will help Karen pay the medical bills and have the ability to keep food on the table until she is fully recovered. Thank you for supporting her and her son in this time of need.

This campaign is unpublished.