When Jessica Farwell, a mother, discovered the enormous six-figure medical bill she had to pay after bringing her six-month-old son to the emergency room, she broke down in tears.
The Northern California resident disclosed in a recent candid interview with KGO-TV that her son Brody was injured in an October 2022 accident when a rice cooker fell on him from the kitchen counter. The six-month-old had to be sent to the emergency room because of his severe burn injuries.
“The worst feeling as a mother is seeing your baby in so much pain,” Farwell told the site. The water simply caused his skin to puff up right away. I wondered if his face would begin to flush. Will his skin begin to flake off? She went on. She said that there was no burn unit at the hospital where she took him. Her son was screaming and was given fentanyl to relieve the pain in the emergency room.
According to Jessica’s account of the incident, the hospital’s physicians informed her that Brody needed to be moved to Shriners Children’s Hospital. Even though they were attempting to get Brody an ambulance, none were available for at least the next seven hours because it was during the COVID-19 pandemic. Farwell, who was clearly in a frantic and distraught state, chose to transport her kid to the hospital herself rather than wait.
After a 15-minute trip to the emergency department for her 6-month-old kid, the mother left with a bill of around $70,000.
Completely crazy.
Jessica Farwell, a California lady, claims that physicians had her put her son in a helicopter, which ultimately cost $90,000.
The madness doesn’t stop there.NslvlXzULW pic.twitter.com/
August 12, 2025, Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg)
But the hospital objected. “No, I’m sorry, you can’t,” they said. I’m not letting you go with him. The helicopter has already been called, and they are en route. He essentially informed me that I had no options. According to Farwell, I had to board the helicopter.
Everything became chaotic from this point on. The 15-minute flight to the hospital, which cost almost $90,000, was necessary for the mother, who was already having a breakdown. She was told at the time that since the health professionals had requested the helicopter, she wouldn’t have to pay the enormous amount herself because she also had insurance.
After they arrived at the hospital, she had to ride in an ambulance once again to go to the entrance, which was only 0.3 miles away. You can really walk across the street to the hospital faster than the ambulance could have taken us there, and they cost me $10,200, she told KGO-TV.
Why everyone is disparaging the insurance provider is beyond me. The story’s antagonist is unmistakably the hospitals.
To begin with, what type of emergency room is incapable of treating a second-degree burn?
Second, a $10,000 cost for a 0.3-mile ambulance transport that was *mandatory* from the
Aug. 13, 2025 Mel (@Villgecrazylady)
The real issues occurred a few months later, when the hospital bills started coming in, even though Brody was treated for second-degree burns and released the following day. Jessica had to pay a waiting fee of $600 in addition to a huge debt totaling over $100,000.
She complained that only half of the amount could be paid by her insurer, leaving $57,000 for the air ambulance journey and an additional $7,000 for the brief ambulance ride to the hospital door. The mother kept getting calls from the collection agencies, so she made a determined effort to resolve the issue.
She did, however, point out that she was unsuccessful in contacting the ambulance services, insurance companies, or hospitals. In the end, KGO-TV assisted her in having the full sum waived.
“It’s finished, and we won’t bill you again,” they said over the phone. They sounded almost contrite. I informed my spouse after hanging up. We simply couldn’t accept it! It’s a miracle! Jessica disclosed, expressing gratitude to the media’s influence.
