A Texas mom who lost both hands in a devastating dog attack claims the prosthetics she needs to regain her independence are sitting in her doctor’s closet — because Medicaid refused to pay for them.
Rachele Miller, who takes medication for intense phantom pains from missing her lower arms, is now trying to raise $19,000 to pay for the custom-made devices.
“It’s been hell going through this,” Miller, 49, told The Post.
Her life changed forever in May 2023, when the mother-of-two was attacked by Oakley, her daughter’s 120-pound adopted Dogo Argentino.
Miller lived with the pup in her home in Mansfield, Texas, about 30 minutes south of Fort Worth, for seven years. The dog was “always happy” and had never shown aggression when she let him in one night after a quick outing in the backyard and tried to pet him.
But that night, the dog turned on the 5-foot-2, 95-pound woman.
“He grabbed my left hand, and I remember feeling my arm just jerk out of the socket,” Miller recalled.
She tried to use her right hand to fend off the attack, but Oakley quickly latched onto it.
“My son saved me, and told me that, from my elbows down, there was just blood everywhere,” she said. “The dog was fine before this. I fed him every night, I pet it, I let it out every night.”
She was rushed to the hospital, where she spent a month after doctors had to amputate her arms above the elbow.
The attack upended Miller’s life.
She was forced to give up her job as a collision estimator, and relocate to Virginia, where she lives with her brother who takes care of her. She’s been surviving on Social Security.
Prior to the denial, bi-lateral prosthetic limbs were made and fitted for her.
But when she tried picking them up last fall, she was suddenly told Medicaid wouldn’t cover the cost.
“They told me I make too much money,” said Miller, who shared a copy of the denial letter with The Post.
She’s been unable to find another insurer who will pay for the prosthetics, which have been sitting — unused — in her doctor’s office.
“Your life is hard enough that you are calling them, asking for help, and [the government] just make it harder on you. There are roadblocks everywhere you go, and no one seems willing to help,” she said.
But Miller isn’t giving up.
She’s started a GoFundMe campaign, raising nearly $4,900 of her $24,000 goal to pay for her new limbs and expensive physical therapy.
“With these prosthetics, I’d be able to hug my kids again,” enthused Miller, adding she’s truly glad to be alive. “I haven’t been getting real hugs. When people see you like this, they’re worried they’re going to hurt you. But you can’t hurt me.”
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