NEW ALBANY, Ind. — A Kentuckiana woman is struggling to find closure after her husband's death several months ago.
Sheena Grim reached out to WHAS11 after she says she was "persistently receiving calls and letters" for her husband's medical debt after he died by suicide.
She wanted to find out who is responsible for the debt and shared her message with others who may be mourning.
"Shawn struggled on and off with mental illness, but he was really struggling after his mother's death," Sheena said.
"Then, he had a hand injury that caused him to have two surgeries and he was going to need another surgery," she added. "He played guitar as a hobby and they told him they didn't know if he would play guitar again and that was just kind of the icing on the cake."
44-year-old Shawn Grim died on June 4, 2022.
He loved his wife of nearly 12 years, his stepkids, his dogs, and playing guitar.
"I don't know if it's just the society we're in, they don't want to hear about it," Sheena said of trying to find resources after his death. "People don't treat mental illness like heart disease or cancer. It's not talked about."
"People just want to forget all the good things that he did because of one night," Sheena said speaking about the suicide stigma. "That's really hard for me and the kids."
When someone dies by suicide, the questions outweigh the answers and can linger for an eternity. Just weeks after Shawn was laid to rest, Sheena got a letter in the mail.
"It was from the EMS," she said recalling the first letter she opened addressed to her late husband. "The first bill was $1,200. I was shocked. All they did was take him a mile down the road to the morgue."
But the bills didn't stop there.
Time and time again, Sheena called Global Medical Response (GMR) and American Medical Response as the bills continued.
She communicated that Shawn had an insolvent estate, which means there was no money to cover the debt to his name. In Indiana and Kentucky, unless you as a spouse sign documents for your partner's medical debts they aren't your responsibility.
"When I first got it, I sent them insurance information because Shawn wasn't on the insurance," Sheena said. "They accepted that. Then I got a bill for $300. Then the last bill was $600. Humana said the insurance is out of network so they don't pay."
Sheena was confused, upset, and annoyed.
No matter how many times she called, who she sent his death certificate to, or who she talked to, she couldn't get the information she needed and the bills kept coming.
So, she asked WHAS11 for help.
WHAS11 sent an email to the GMR media team at the end of January, explaining the story that was being worked on and asking them why Sheena continued to receive bills even though her husband was dead, and there was no money in his estate.
In addition, WHAS11 requested an interview to ask what other people can do to make sure they aren't receiving bills for loved ones they aren't responsible for paying.
The next day, GMR responded and asked for more information so they could look into the case. After WHAS11 sent the information, it took more than two weeks, and multiple follow-up emails, for them to respond.
On Feb. 16 they said, "We are looking into it."
Then, the next day, Sheena let WHAS11 know she received a call from the company.
She said a representative from the company reached out and said there was a "misunderstanding," but the bill wasn't her responsibility.
"I honestly think this will help. The reminder will stop coming in the mail every month, a couple of times a month," Sheena said.
The bills stopped, but Shawn's memory never will.
Sheena and her daughter have planned a benefit in his honor in May and are finding peace by continuing to live a life full of his love.
"Anything Kassidy can do, or find to bring awareness, she does it," Sheena said on a statement on Facebook of her family's involvement in raising suicide awareness. "This benefit is going to be really good for us, his friends, and the community."
WHAS11 reached back out to GMR to get an explanation for their apology to Sheena, but they haven't responded.
Laws on debt between spouses differ from state to state. Talk to an estate attorney if there are any questions about what you should or should not pay for after the death of a loved one.
If you or someone you know is going through a difficult time, please click here to seek suicide awareness and prevention resources.
If you are in crisis, please call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
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