A mother sent shockwaves across TikTok after claiming she was charged over $300 (£248) to receive confirmation of her daughter's death.
TikTok user Linzathy (@whenlifegivesyoulindzes) took her harrowing story to the platform, saying: "You would think after spending $2 million on her medical expenses that the death would be free."
In the viral clip that's racked up over 3.4 million views, the TikToker showed an image of the hospital bill with $341 for a "Hospital Discharge Day Management."
"She was not discharged, she died," Linzathy said.
She explained how the doctor came in for "less than five seconds" to check her daughter's heartbeat, despite saying she already knew she had passed.
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@whenlifegivesyoulindzes It wouldn’t let me stitch @thecooljack4 but he’s so right!! This 💩 happened to me. On a seriously note, the #americanhealthcaresystem needs #reform
Fellow TikTokers were outraged by her shocking revelation, with one saying: "As a healthcare worker in America - I really want to know where the $$ goes. Not to us workers for sure. So ridiculous that they charge that much".
The story prompted others to come forward with their own personal experiences and extortionate bills.
"My daughter bill after she passed was $67k," one user said, while another reiterated: "It was over a 100k after my mom passed. I got a large folder in the mail & literally when I saw it".
A final added: "Free? You funny, this is America, if they could tax oxygen they would".
Linzathy sadly lost her daughter in 2018 to cancer.
The mother opened up about her daughter's diagnosis, saying she had been looking a little tired and paler than usual. "We had been taking her to the doctors because she had developed a rash that wouldn't go away," she explained in a separate video.
Her daughter was transferred to the children's hospital for a blood transfusion, where medics had found "abnormal cells in her blood."
Linzathy later discovered her daughter had leukemia.
Linzathy is now fundraising to have a brick placed at St. Jude in her honour for her daughter's birthday. You can find more information here.
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