However, an ankle injury during a tournament tore ligaments and tendons. The extent of the damage required surgery, and it was clear that playing soccer again was basically out of the question.

Even though she couldn’t pursue her dreams of playing soccer in college, Kristen has been blessed by God in other ways—specifically through having her two children. Still, with two ankle surgeries on the same foot she assumed she would always live with ankle pain.

She experienced some ankle pain when walking. She was able to take care of her children and handle her daily responsibilities, though it was very uncomfortable. However, in 2023, she was in so much pain, she couldn’t walk. After a visit to the emergency room, she found out that she had three tears in her ankle ligaments—one complete and two partial—and a six-and-a-half-inch tear in her peroneal tendon.

An ankle injury leads to a call to CHM

At that point, Kristen recalls, “I reached out to Christian Healthcare Ministries after my emergency room visit and was connected with their Complete Surgical Care Solution (formerly Advantage Care Solution) team. They matched me with a doctor the next day who perfectly fit what I was looking for.”

This began revolving-door visits to doctors: at one point I counted that I’d taken my 15-year-old to 12 different doctors. Nobody could figure out what was wrong. A doctor even told my daughter that her pain wasn’t real—it was all in her head. We felt so defeated.

Countless misdiagnoses and failed treatment plans later, we finally got the proper diagnosis. She had hip dysplasia—where your hip joints don’t grow properly and are too shallow to cover the femurs, thus creating instability and pain. The condition required surgery.

As we looked into potential providers who could do the procedure Chloe needed, we contacted Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) for help. That’s when they told us about Complete Surgical Care Solution (formerly Advantage Care Solution).

“Complete Surgical Care Solution is for people like us”

CHM created Complete Surgical Care Solution (CSCS) to help people struggling to navigate the healthcare system—people like us. CSCS matched us with quality healthcare providers who specialized in the procedure Chloe needed.

It was challenging to find doctors who would perform this type of surgery, and I remember wondering, how are they ever going to find a provider who could help us?

Le says “I love how CHM allows me to spend time with my kids, and still be able to pursue my dreams with my husband and build our business. My original prayer for my family was to be able to raise them up in the way they should go, but also contribute to my family financially.” CHM gives Le the flexibility to do both.

Le and Sonny share that, “CHM gives us freedom to choose our provider, to pursue our calling, and to also raise our “basketball team”, our five kids. What we love about CHM is that it’s convenient, it’s affordable, and it allows us to chase our dreams as entrepreneurs.”

Le and Sonny are the successful small business owners of Fit Foodie Le.

The week before the 4th of July, my family and I were enjoying a day on our boat in the Florida Keys. The water was clear—you could see straight to the bottom. I did a front flip off the boat, and when I hit the water, I landed on something hard. I thought that maybe I’d hit the boat because I couldn’t move my legs. I never even saw the shark.

My husband, Luke, recalls, “She didn’t scream. She just said, ‘Help.’ I knew something wasn’t right, so I jumped in after her and got her into the boat. Her femur bone was completely exposed, and there was blood everywhere. I knew we had to stop the bleeding immediately, so I tied a tourniquet with the anchor rope. Our two daughters were hysterical. I told them to start praying for their momma.”

Luke called 911. I kept thinking, “I must keep my eyes open. I can’t leave my girls.” The EMTs were waiting for us at the end of the 30-minute boat journey back to shore. I was taken by life flight to the hospital in Miami where I was immediately rushed into surgery and received 11 blood transfusions.

Miracle after miracle

There were so many things that could have gone wrong, but we experienced miracle after miracle.

I was told by my surgeon that my shark bite was the largest in U.S. history that didn’t end in an amputation, which is definitely an answer to prayer. I had a total of three reconstructive surgeries and was given a lot more blood. After nine days in the hospital, I was discharged.

The episodes continued, and finally, after Taylor experienced a racing heart for over six hours, they went to the emergency room. “All of the doctors and nurses went into panic mode, and we saw on the EKG that my heart rate was at 250 beats per minute.”

Taylor met with a cardiologist and was told she would have to be on medication for the rest of her life or have a cardiac ablation, which is considered a cure for an SVT heart condition.

She was advised to wait until after delivery to see if the SVT episodes would continue or if her racing heartbeat would regulate. Less than two weeks after delivering her baby boy, she found herself back in the emergency room again with an abnormal heart rate.

He was in the hospital for four days and three nights—and we quickly learned that is not cheap! He tested positive for strep throat and the flu, which turned into pneumonia. Between being quarantined and his time in the hospital, it ended up being a month-long ordeal.

That was the first time we had to use CHM.

It was wonderful knowing that while I was at the hospital with Michael, I could focus completely on him. I didn’t have to spend my time wondering how much we were racking up in medical bills or how we were going to pay for them.

It could have meant financial hardship for us—but thanks to CHM, it didn’t.

A financial burden lifted

I remember how we initially found CHM. After being taken off my parent’s insurance, I was searching for healthcare options, and I began to wonder if a Christian approach to healthcare actually existed. A quick Google search led us to CHM.

We’re so thankful. Through CHM, we’ve experienced God’s faithfulness both when Michael unexpectedly ended up in the hospital and later when I was hospitalized.

The episodes came on sporadically, and Jessica never knew when one would happen. Sometimes she’d go months without one. But when they did come, the pain wouldn’t just stop and start; it was constant. She recalls, “It was about 45 minutes of laying in the bed. I was sweating, white as a ghost, and in so much pain. I could almost compare it to labor pains.”

Justin, Jessica’s husband, shares, “I knew that an episode could happen at any moment. I would be terrified to be in a situation where I couldn’t get home from work or wouldn’t be around to help. A lot of times she’d call me, and I’d sit on the phone with her as she moaned in pain. ’Just keep breathing,’ I would tell her.”

After years of going to doctor’s appointments, asking questions, and telling her story, Jessica felt defeated. Nobody cared. She felt, “Nobody’s going to help me. Everyone just wanted to listen to my symptoms; nobody tried to dig deeper as to what was actually causing all of my issues. They basically just wanted to put a band-aid over it.” She prayed that God would show her another way.

The pain was getting worse, and the episodes were coming more often. Jessica learned that surgery, a hysterectomy, was an option—one she hadn’t been given before. Jessica called Christian Healthcare Ministries. She prayed, “Lord, please just let this work.”

The doctor let me know I needed to see a surgeon. After I’d scheduled surgery, the provider called and said, “You need $30,000 before you can step foot in our facility.”

I panicked. I thought, where am I going to come up with the money? I called my husband, Jim, and he told me not to worry, that it’ll work out.

I called CHM. Because that’s my lifeline.

We heard about CHM several years prior from our accountant. At the time, we were paying $1,400 a month for insurance for the two of us. With CHM, we paid less per month, and knew our monthly contributions were going to help other members who needed it. If we didn’t need medical bill support, we knew the funds were going to someone else who could use them.

When I broke my foot, I knew we really needed CHM’s help. When I called, they connected me to Katherine who introduced me to CHM’s Complete Surgical Care Solution (formerly Advantage Care Solution). Katherine told me the same thing my husband, Jim, had said, “Don’t worry”, and assured me that the new Complete Surgical Care Solution would help me. That was such a game-changer.

We’d spent five long years trying to conceive, so when we joined CHM, I paid little attention to the ministry’s maternity Guideline that a member’s join date with CHM must be 300 days before the expected due date in order for maternity bills to be eligible for sharing.

We were so surprised, and grateful, to see a positive pregnancy result about a month after signing up for the CHM Gold program. Thankfully, my due date fit within the 300-day requirement.

I was thankful to find that CHM offered easy-to-follow instructions for submitting medical bills, particularly maternity needs. The Guidelines and maternity guide helped me understand I needed to set up prepayment agreements with my OB/GYN office and the facility where I intended to give birth. The Maternity Care Team is available to connect members to the best care in their area, and to offer care and support throughout pregnancy.

I called the ministry several times during my pregnancy to verify I was doing everything correctly. Each time the CHM staff was friendly and patient with my many questions.

Electric fence scare

My pregnancy was smooth until 32 weeks when I accidentally brushed my expanding stomach against an electric fence while caring for our horses. I felt the shock through my whole body and panicked. I couldn’t feel the baby move. After rushing to the hospital, relief washed over me as I heard his strong heartbeat on the fetal monitor.

The cost of my hospital visit was the last thing on my mind. A few weeks later, I was shocked to receive a $4,000 hospital bill! I was worried about the cost, but CHM reassured me I could submit it for sharing.