Terry Belk, who owed thousands for cancer treatment for himself and his late wife, said he was stunned by a call from Atrium Health telling him the lien on his home was cancelled.

Less than a week after NBC News detailed how the hospital system Atrium Health of North Carolina aggressively pursued former patients’ medical debts, placing liens on their homes to collect on hospital bills, the nonprofit company announced it would cancel those obligations and forgive the unpaid debts associated with them. Some 11,500 liens on people’s homes in North Carolina and five other states will be released, Atrium’s parent company, Advocate Health, said with some dating back 20 years or more.

Advocate Health said it is changing its policy now as “the next logical step” following a 2022 decision to stop filing lawsuits and property liens to collect on patients’ medical debts. The company declined NBC News’ request for an interview about the shift.

  • Maeve
    6•2 months ago

    Hi thanks so much for sharing that personal information. How are you doing now? Hoping for the best outcome for you

    • Maple EngineerEnglish
      8•2 months ago

      The lump I discovered in my neck was my left superclavicular lymph node (the lymph node just above my collar bone at the base of my neck.) After two months (two rounds of two chemo treatments) the lump in my neck is gone. I also had tumors in the lymph nodes in front of my heart. I’m feeling pretty good. I haven’t had any nausea, though I’m feeling a bit queasy these days. I’m half way between chemo treatments. I get them every other Friday. I hadn’t lost much hair but noticed a couple of days ago that half of my eyebrows were missing. They are shrinking from the outside in toward the bridge of my nose. I look like I have bushy Rotweiller eyebrows. I get another PET scan in two weeks to see how the tumors are reacting. When I’m done with chemo in January I will get radiation to mop up the last of the tumors if there is any evidence of active desease.

      So, all in all I’m doing really well. Thanks for asking.

      • Maeve
        4•2 months ago

        You’re welcome and thanks again for sharing. A lot of people wouldn’t be comfortable doing that. I hope the lump being gone is indicative of great news!

        Yeah, the chemicals can be pretty brutal. A friend who went through chemo said everything tasted like dirty socks smell, and oddly, dill. My nephew didn’t complain about taste so much, but subsisted almost wholly on yogurt, since it was the only thing he could keep down, and was also really tired a lot. If the eyebrows bother you, there are fill -in kits, idk if that would work for you. Wishing you the best possible outcome.

        • Maple EngineerEnglish
          3•2 months ago

          Thanks.

          I have a PICC line in which makes the infusions much easier. When the flush the line once a week and before the infusion it’s just saline (water and sodium chloride) but it smells like whiteboard markers to me. I think it increases the conductivity in your nose and mouth and I can really smell hospital smell.