Samaritan Ministries Members Thank God for Healing and Financial Provision Following Surgery for a Brain Tumor

‘I Knew Our Brothers and Sisters in Samaritan Would Be Walking Through This With Us’ and They Shared ‘Every Nickel’

October 16, 2019

PEORIA, Ill.—Rob Holler, a small-business owner in Owasso, Oklahoma, first heard about health care sharing through Samaritan Ministries International (samaritanministries.org) from his son-in-law.

After talking and praying with his wife, Brenda, the Hollers decided that Samaritan Ministries, one of the leading health care sharing ministries in America, was a good fit for them. They appreciated the biblically grounded mission of the ministry, as well as the affordable, God-honoring, direct-sharing model used by more than 82,000 member households (270,000-plus individuals) worldwide.

Soon after joining Samaritan, the benefits of health care sharing became very real to the Hollers.

“Little did we know that a short time later we would be receiving checks in the mail from our brothers and sisters in Christ to help carry our burden from my wife’s brain tumor and surgery,” Rob said on a recent interview with Dan Celia of “Financial Issues.”

Rob said his wife was always an industrious and focused person, but when she experienced a migraine headache she couldn’t shake, the Hollers visited a local hospital emergency room. Brenda was looking forward to medicine that would get her back to her life pain-free. But at the ER that day, a CT scan showed a mass. Six hours later, an MRI revealed a tumor in the back of Brenda’s brain, and it was “significant” in size.

When Brenda went into surgery, the Hollers were optimistic but realistic, as they had discovered that many who undergo this type of brain surgery experienced at least some level of paralysis or other terrible side effects—if they even survived.

While the medical aspect was stressful, the finances were not. The bills for Brenda’s tests, surgery and recovery would have normally totaled over $300,000, and the Hollers’ former insurance plan would have cost the family $55,000 out of pocket.

“These bills could financially devastate a family,” Brenda said.

But because the Hollers were able to negotiate with providers as cash-pay patients, the charges were slashed to $79,000.

“And every bit of that was paid,” Rob said. “Every nickel.

“My wife went under one of the most invasive brain surgeries you can have, and she is evidence of God’s graciousness and mercy—that He brought her through that,” he added. “I was thankful for Samaritan right off the bat because I knew that our brothers and sisters in Samaritan would be walking through this with us.”

Along with the checks that flooded the Hollers’ mailbox were personal and touching cards and notes from fellow Samaritan members. One note struck Rob, not only because it was from a member in New Zealand but because of the words in it: “We trust God’s grace is sufficient and that His comfort has truly been your experience.”

“What I love about this statement from Jeff and Debbie in New Zealand is not that they just hoped my wife would get better. More importantly, they wanted us to trust God’s grace and that He would be sufficient for us,” Rob said.

Today, Brenda is healthy, and the Hollers will be eternally thankful both to God for his provision and to their fellow Samaritan members.

“We are blessed.”  

Watch the Hollers’ story here.

Each month, Samaritan members like Rob and Brenda share $29 million in medical needs—person-to-person and family-to-family—as they also pray and send notes and cards of encouragement. Over the past 25 years, Samaritan members have shared $1.8 billion in medical needs.

Learn more about Samaritan Ministries International here; visit the Samaritan website at www.samaritanministries.org, or follow the ministry on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

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To interview a representative from Samaritan Ministries, contact Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Patrick Benner, 610.584.1096, ext. 104, or Deborah Hamilton, ext. 102.