A grandfather approached former governor and state Sen. Richard Codey in April with a problem.
James Post told Codey, D-Essex, one of his four granddaughters was faced with an agonizing struggle. She had severe Scoliosis that left her in debilitating pain and the only cure in sight came with a $140,000 price tag in the form of surgery that her insurance company rejected to cover multiple times, Post said.
Jessica Riley, 18, described the agony from the twists and curves of her spine as “unbearable” and said everyday tasks, like attending Wallkill Valley High School in Hardyston Township, increasingly became a struggle. But her family fell short of raising the money they needed.
Then Codey stepped in.
He called the president and CEO of Saint Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick, where the surgery was scheduled to take place once they raised the money, to see if there was anything that could be done, Codey said. Within a week, the insurance company approved the hospital stay and they were able to cover other expenses. Riley had her surgery at the end of May.
“Living with it every day, it was hard to get out of bed,” said Riley, who was diagnosed at 14. “The pain was just unbearable before the surgery and now it’s a lot better.”
Riley appeared at a press conference Wednesday with Codey, her mother and grandfather, to tell her story and thank him.
“The pain went away, to some degree, when I met this man,” Post said, describing how he would easily get emotional any time he talked about his granddaughter’s medical condition. He called Codey’s intervention “a godsend.”
She plans to attend Ramapo College of New Jersey in the fall and will study to become a nurse.
“I’m a grandfather,” said Codey said. “I can understand where he’s coming from.”
Codey, the longest-serving state lawmaker in New Jersey history, crossed paths with the grandfather at a restaurant in Ogdensburg. He was there taking part in another act of community service. Since the coronavirus gripped the state and the nation, Codey has regularly helped pay 15% of customers’ bills at family-owned restaurants. So far, he’s contributed about $45,000, he said.
The encounter is what led him to call Leslie Hirsch, the president and CEO of Saint Peter’s.
“Today’s heartwarming story is one example of how we helped a child who needed this life-changing procedure. Serving our community and providing access to those most in need is part of Saint Peter’s long-standing commitment to provide the highest quality of care consistent with our Catholic mission,” Hirsch said in a statement.
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Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com.