A New Home Saved From Disaster
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."
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