Imagine this: you’re in the serene beauty of Arizona, capturing the breathtaking night sky, when suddenly, a bat decides to make your mouth its new home. Sounds like something out of a horror movie, right? But for 33-year-old Erica Kahn, this bizarre incident turned into a nightmare that would leave her with a staggering $20,000 in medical bills.

Erica was enjoying a peaceful trip, focused on her photography, when the unexpected happened in August of last year. In a moment that would make anyone scream, a bat got tangled between her head and camera, causing it to partially enter her mouth. Imagine the shock! She recalled her panic to KFF Health News, saying, “I was terrified. I thought it was just a brief encounter.”

Despite her fears, Erica initially believed she hadn’t been bitten. However, her father, a doctor, advised her to undergo a series of rabies vaccinations to be safe. After all, rabies can be a fatal virus if left untreated. Unfortunately, Erica had just been laid off from her biomedical engineering job and didn’t have a safety net to catch her in this alarming situation.

Determined to protect herself, she scrambled to purchase health insurance online the very next day, only to be met with a harsh reality: the insurance company denied coverage for her rabies treatment due to a “30-day waiting period.” She was blindsided. The company justified the denial by stating, “The required waiting period for this service has not been met.”

In total, Erica visited four different medical facilities, racking up bills that soared to a shocking $20,749. What started as a simple vacation turned into a financial burden that felt insurmountable. At first, Erica thought the denial from her insurance was a mistake, only to face the bitter truth that her situation was far more complicated than she anticipated.

As she navigated this financial storm, she switched insurance companies, managed to negotiate some of her bills, and set up payment plans for the remaining costs. Yet, despite her efforts, she’s still appealing for the payments to cover her outstanding medical debt. Erica’s situation is a stark reminder of how quickly life can throw us into chaos, especially when unexpected moments—like a bat flying into your mouth—become costly realities.