NJ Restaurant Worker Battled Hodgkin’s, Now She’s Fighting Bills

MONTCLAIR, NJ — It was in September of 2017 that Theresa Girratano, a beloved employee at CARS restaurant in New Jersey, began having trouble breathing. But although she’s now recovering from her bout with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, she’s still trying to catch her breath from her ongoing struggle with medical bills, her employers say.

The owners of CARS, which has locations in Montclair and Ramsey, recently announced that they are launching an online fundraiser to benefit their beloved employee. (Donate to the campaign here)

“We were deeply saddened to hear about what Theresa was, and is, going through,” co-owner AJ DiBenedetto said in a joint statement with co-owner Rich DiBenedetto. “So we wanted to bring our local communities together to help raise funds to help her out.”

According to the local business owners:

“On September 4, 2017, CARS’ beloved employee, Theresa, was rushed to the hospital for having trouble breathing. Upon numerous blood tests, the doctor's diagnosed her with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and rushed her for chemotherapy due to its' severity. Theresa is still recovering, working on a limited schedule, and trying to get by with a hefty medical bill that was only partially paid by her insurance plan, so CARS is helping her out.”

According to the online fundraiser:

“With only temporary hospital insurance, Theresa was built into a 6-month chemotherapy treatment. After being denied numerous times, she was finally approved for Medicaid during the 4th month. In this 6-month treatment period of temporary insurance and Medicaid, she racked up a rather large bill that will not be covered and she needs help to pay it.”

CARS will be pushing the GoFundMe page, but will also be accepting cash or credit donations throughout the month of August at its locations in Montclair and Ramsey. All proceeds will go directly to the GoFundMe page and will be released to Girratano at the end of the month, the DiBenedettos said.

Girratano isn’t the only New Jersey resident to recently turn to crowdfunding in order to cover medical bills that insurance won’t pay for.

In 2017:

• A highly decorated Vietnam War veteran who earned a Purple Heart and a Silver Star said that the health coverage his government offered in return for his service wasn’t enough to cover the medical costs of his wife's cancer treatments (read more here).
• Brett Hansen, 28, a patrol officer for the Toms River Police Department, suffered life-threatening injuries Jan. 4 when his Dodge Avenger hit the rear of a tractor-trailer. Hansen faced a lengthy recovery, his mother, Lori Hansen, wrote on a GoFundme campaign the family created in an effort to cover medical expenses that exceed his health benefits (read more here).
• A Boonton man and scoutmaster encountered a bear when he took a look inside a cave during a hike in Rockaway Township. What he didn't expect was a black bear to be inside, which in turn defended its territory and attacked him. His family sought help with expenses for ongoing treatments to assist with wound care, often not covered by health insurance (read more here).

Read more stories about New Jersey residents who turned to online fundraising to cover medical expenses below.

• See related article: Meet 10 NJ Families Who Had To Crowdfund For Healthcare

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