Chapter 3

The final straw was actually two things happening at once. In early March, I went for a routine check-up. The doctor found a nodule on my thyroid and recommended a biopsy. "The cost will be around six hundred dollars," he said. "The sooner, the better."

But my bank account had four hundred and fifty dollars. My next paycheck was still two weeks away.

I agonized over it all day. That night, I called Taryn. "Mom, my check-up found a problem. I might need a procedure, and I was hoping I could borrow..."

"How much?" she interrupted.

"Six hundred dollars," I…