Casey Ryan McIntyre, a 38-year-old mother and publisher, passed away on November 12 from ovarian cancer. Her death was announced in a touching Instagram post, where she expressed her love for her friends and family. However, her legacy extends beyond her life through a remarkable act of compassion aimed at eradicating medical debt for others.
Before her death, McIntyre arranged to buy and cancel others’ medical debt as a celebration of her life. This initiative has garnered significant support, with a memorial page set up on the RIP Medical Debt website raising $74,000 towards a $100,000 goal. This amount is expected to clear around $7.5 million in medical debt, given the charity’s ability to purchase debt bundles at a fraction of their original cost.
McIntyre’s husband, Andrew Gregory, described her as a humorous and radiant woman. McIntyre, raised in Manhattan and New Jersey, worked at Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Random House. She found joy in publishing books for young readers and is survived by her daughter, Grace Valentine Gregory. Gregory highlighted that, while fortunate to have good insurance that covered their medical expenses, McIntyre was aware that many families are not as lucky and face significant medical debt.
This awareness led McIntyre and her husband to support RIP Medical Debt, inspired by a church in North Carolina that alleviated $3.3 million in medical debt. They began making monthly donations to the charity, recognizing the widespread issue of medical debt in the United States. Statistics from The Commonwealth Fund indicate that 40% of U.S. adults struggle with medical or dental bill-induced debt, with many reducing basic needs like food or clothing to cope.
Gregory emphasized the severe impact of medical debt on American families, many of whom deplete their savings to afford life-saving care. He expressed a desire for people to leave McIntyre’s memorial feeling uplifted by the significant debt relief accomplished in her honor. The family, having spent a “bonus summer” with McIntyre after an earlier scare in May, planned her memorial as a “debt jubilee” through RIP Medical Debt. Gregory envisioned mourners leaving the memorial with a sense of pride, having collectively erased millions of dollars in medical debt, thus offering financial relief and a fresh start to those in need.
In summary, Casey Ryan McIntyre’s passing has left a profound impact, not just in her immediate circle but in the broader community through her compassionate initiative to relieve medical debt. Her legacy continues through the substantial contributions made in her name, alleviating the financial burdens of many and highlighting the significant challenges of medical debt in America.
