CEDAR FALLS -- A diagnosis of Crohn's disease a decade ago when Sarah Posekany was 15 derailed her life for a while.

The chronic inflammation of the digestive tract was eating holes in her intestines. She was put on bowel rest for two weeks at a time and not allowed to eat anything. She suffered from diarrhea, constipation and stomachaches.

"There's many times when I was first diagnosed (that) I wasn't in school because of the pain," Posekany said.

The Waterloo West High School student underwent a colon resection the same year she was diagnosed. The surgery involves removing the damaged part of the intestine. That, along with taking 36 to 40 pills daily, helped get her through high school.

But things got worse.

Posekany, now 26, has gone through a total of six colon resection operations and faced medical bills that spiraled out of control, causing her to declare bankruptcy four years ago. She has taken on more medical debt since then, due to further surgeries.

Iowa for Health Care, a statewide organization that typically lobbies legislators, is planning a benefit from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Overman Park for Posekany. She says she hopes to return to college and earn a nursing degree but is struggling to continue her education in her sea of debt. Donations will be accepted at the benefit; there is no admission.

Posekany graduated in 2000 and headed to Hawkeye Community College before needing another surgery at the beginning of her second semester.

She got sick again in early 2001, she said.

She spent two weeks at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and then needed to rest at home for six to eight weeks. She had to drop out of college and, as a result, lost access to her parents' insurance. State laws at the time required her to be enrolled as a full-time student to stay on their insurance. Posekany went off her medications, and her health further declined.

And she began going deeply into debt.

Following the surgery, Posekany decided she needed to begin using medication again to control her disease.

"From 20 to 22, I racked up an amount of bills," she said. Eventually, the medical costs totaled $180,000, and she filed for bankruptcy.

That was also about the time she got involved with Iowa for Health Care. The Iowa City-based organization has 40,000 members across the state, including 3,500 in Waterloo-Cedar Falls.

Andrew Mertens, communication director at Iowa for Health Care, said medical costs cause more than 800,000 people nationwide to file for bankruptcy annually.

"Medical debt is now the No. 1 cause of bankruptcy in this country," he said, adding that 18- to 25-year-olds are the "fastest growing number of uninsured (people) in this country. It's something that needs to be dealt with."

"In this nation today, health care feels more like a privilege than a right," Posekany said.

In February, she helped the organization lobby legislators for a health care reform bill, HF 2539. It included provisions allowing children to remain on their parents' health insurance until age 25, whether or not they are enrolled in college. The bill was approved by the Legislature and signed into law by the governor.

"It feels really good that I was able to stand up," Posekany said. "It came too late for me, but it's going to save other people."

In the meantime, her health has remained stable. Posekany had her last colon resection surgery in 2006 and has been receiving free medication to help control her disease for 11/2 years through a drug company cost-forgiveness program. She earned her nurse aide certification and has worked at Harmony House for the past two years.

Posekany says she plans to continue her education in October at Kaplan University to become a licensed practical nurse. But she is struggling with another $55,000 in medical debt since declaring bankruptcy.

She is "stoked" about Tuesday's fundraiser.

Organizers have raised $1,500 in advance of the event and hope to eventually reach $19,000 between the benefit and an ongoing appeal for donations. Mertens noted that "100 percent of all donations are going to go strictly to her tuition."

He added, "It's raising enough money so she can finish school and get her life on track for herself."

Contact Andrew Wind at (319) 291-1507 or andrew.wind@wcfcourier.com.