Two months ago, I went in for a routine mammogram in Texas. Ya know, trusting the US Healthcare System. Just being proactive, responsible, doing all the “right” things for my health.
A few days later, I got an email. Not a call. Just a cold notification:
“You need to come back for another mammogram and a biopsy or sonogram. We found something.”
And just like that, I was thrown into full-on WTF mode—while in the middle of leaving Texas for good. I was driving to Florida to drop off the last of my things before heading home to Costa Rica.
I scrambled to find a clinic that could help. I ended up at SimonMed, who were incredible—but they had to wait four days for my original mammogram from Texas.
It never came. So I had to:
Do another mammogram
Add a sonogram
And sit through a radiologist saying, “You need to stay”
I couldn’t. I live in Costa Rica.
They said, “Don’t wait six months to come back.”
Cue the spiraling.
Was it cancer?
Was I too late?
Did I screw up leaving the system?
Long story short? I was fine.
No signs of cancer.
But the emotional toll—and financial one—was massive.
Let’s talk numbers from the Healthcare System that is suppose to protect us:
Insurance denied all claims
I paid $700+ out-of-pocket for the second mammogram and sonogram
I got billed $6,000 for the biopsy
My “insurance” didn’t cover outpatient surgery
I had been paying $500/month for that useless policy
That’s $3,500 in premiums over 7 months + $6,700 more out of pocket.
But here’s the wildest part:
SimonMed dropped my biopsy bill from $6,000 to $1,600 when I told them I didn’t have insurance.
No insurance = better pricing.
Let that sink in.
It’s not that I don’t care about my health.
It’s that I care too much to keep trusting a system that failed me when I needed it most.
Why would I spend $1,000/month on U.S. insurance while living in Costa Rica…
When I’m already doing the work to stay healthy, strong, and rooted?
I’m not paying for:
Waiting rooms
Denials
Emotional whiplash
Fear
I’m investing in:
Wellness
Strength
Sovereignty
Because that’s what real healthcare looks like.
Instead of gambling on insurance, I take ownership of my health every day.
I’m not anti-doctor. But I’m done outsourcing my health to a health care system that profits when I stay confused, sick, or silent.
If you’re feeling this, you’re not alone.
That’s why I created Rise with the Tides—a 7-day immersive retreat for women in midlife who are ready to take their health into their own hands.
We’ll move.
We’ll lift.
We’ll reconnect to our intuition, our strength, and our sisterhood.
Because when the system says, “Wait…”
We say, “Watch me rise.”
December 7–13, 2025 | Costa Rica
12 women. One powerful comeback.
Click here to learn more & claim your spot or fill out the form HERE and I will personally text you!
