Cindy
and Matt Wrenn were days away from closing on their dream home
when disaster struck. Cindy, 28, suddenly fell ill while teaching
a real estate class and was rushed to the hospital. She was stricken
with a brain aneurysm, and during surgery she suffered a stroke.
With
Cindy in critical condition and fighting for her life, the house
closing seemed out of the question. It was unclear if Cindy would
survive, let alone return to her job at a real estate title company.
Matt's teaching salary wasn't enough, on its own, to qualify for
the mortgage. Knowing how much the home meant to Cindy, Matt contacted
his insurance agent, Gillian Lotz, who had helped the couple purchase
disability insurance policies. Lotz, pointed out to the lender
that Cindy's individual coverage, combined with the disability
benefit she received from her employer, would replace 70% of her
salary until she turned 65. The loan was approved.
Cindy’s
recovery was nothing short of miraculous. A month after the stroke,
Cindy was released from the hospital, and a few weeks later she
moved into her new home in picturesque rural Maryland. Just four
months after the saga began, Cindy was able to return to her job
part-time. The income Cindy earned allowed her to move from a
full to a partial disability claim.
Today,
Cindy is off claim, in good health and owns her own title company.
Matt is a state fire marshal. They also are proud parents of a
year-and-a-half-old daughter, Sarah. If disaster should ever strike
again, Cindy plans to keep her disability policy in force until
she retires, and she pays the same premiums that she paid before
she became ill. "When you're in your twenties, you don't think
of such things as disability insurance," says Cindy. "I'm so thankful
that I had it."
