A mother has spoken out on TikTok about the financial hurdles she says she faced while trying to get chemotherapy treatment for her toddler, who is being treated for neuroblastoma. The creator, who posts under the handle @elena.headrick, said in her video that Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) told her the cost would be at least $500,000 if she had to pay out of pocket. She said in the caption that the hospital had originally asked for $1.5 million.
The video, which has been viewed 494,900 times and liked more than 5,500 times, shows the woman sitting indoors and eating an ice cream bar while on-screen text describes her situation. In the caption, she wrote, “Who in the heck has at least 500k laying around. They originally asked for 1.5 million. What the heck. Send help and prayers that Medicaid comes through.”
On the on-screen text, she said, “Just sitting here at Ronald McDonald eating an ice cream… still haven’t started my toddlers next chemo cycle because MSK wants at least $500K to start treatment if we are self pay…. We are trying to expedite insurance.”
Commenters offered advice on Medicaid and hospital assistance programs
The video drew a number of comments, some of which offered suggestions on how to seek financial help. One commenter wrote, “Apply for Medicaid!!! There are special categories for medically needy children.” Another commenter pointed to a different hospital, writing, “St Jude charges Zero! Reach out to them.”
Other commenters pushed back on the idea that the family would be billed immediately. One wrote, “Not true. They do not give you a bill until all avenues are processed including Medicaid and insurance.” Another suggested working with hospital staff directly, writing, “Talk with the patient advocacy office to speak with a social worker. They may be able to help with getting insurance to approve it.” Steep, unexpected medical costs have drawn attention elsewhere too, as seen where a patient was billed over a thousand dollars for a short ambulance ride.
The creator later posted a follow-up video on TikTok, which she described as a reply to a critical comment from a user named @Tinkerbell1248573. That comment, shown on screen in her video, read, “I would be one the phone- not eating on the phone eating an ice cream making a tik tok.”
In the on-screen text of her reply video, the mother pushed back on that comment. She wrote, “Love this comment… Yes I just sit around eating ice cream 24/7 making videos instead of calling people and getting my daughters care scheduled.”
She continued, “I spent every day calling insurance, Medicaid, marketplace, the hospital staff and everyone trying to get the payment and financial part figured out so my daughter could get care.” She also noted, “If yall didn’t already know… you can’t call people at night after hours,” referring to when her first video was filmed.
The follow-up video shows the mother in a hospital room, holding her daughter. In the caption of that video, she wrote, “Replying to @Tinkerbell1248573 and insurance was finally approved so we have started day 1 of cycle 2 today. Thank goodness.”
She added, “I was calling everyone multiple times a day spending hours on hold doing everything I could possibly think of to get the process expedited.” She went on to say, “A 7 second video is not justified to think someone is lazy and not doing what needs to be done.”
According to the mother’s caption, insurance was approved, and her daughter began the second cycle of chemotherapy on the day the follow-up video was posted. Neither the mother nor representatives for Memorial Sloan Kettering have publicly confirmed additional details about the family’s insurance process or billing arrangement beyond what was shared in the videos. Insurance approvals can be complex, as seen where a woman from the poorest county was told she made too much money for health insurance.
Published: Jul 22, 2026 05:52 am