Another Channel 9 viewer's medical debt wiped away

CHESTER, S.C. — She’s dedicated to serving others, teaching and feeding youth, but she never expected someone to give back to her.

[RELATED: Patient thanks Action 9 for helping wipe away thousands in medical debt]

Her crippling medical debt was suddenly wiped out by Channel 9 and a nonprofit.

“When I opened the letter, I say ‘Man, this is real,” Mary Talford said.

[RELATED: Action 9 helps to wipe away $1 million of viewers' medical debt]

We did it for her and hundreds of others, just in time for the holidays.

“It was $2,400,” Talford said.

Channel 9 made a commitment to help people in the Charlotte area wipe away $1 million in doctor bills.

So Action 9 donated enough money to the non-profit, RIP Medical Debt, to achieve that.

RIP buys people's medical debt for pennies on the dollar and then forgives that debt.

Action 9's donation helped almost 500 people.

Talford splits her time between working with children at her small church in Chester, which she calls her passion, and helping her sisters – one who had a stroke and two with diabetes.

"Lot of doctor appointments. It's a lot of work. So that's my job," Talford said.

Recently, Talford wasn't feeling well herself. She was having stomach pains.

"My tests was OK," she said.  "But the bills was there."

Channel 9's donation helped RIP Medical Debt erase her $2,400 debt.

"When you always giving, giving yourself and giving to the community, and, then, you see that, that it's somebody really giving back to you, and I said it's a great Christmas for me,” Talford said.

RIP Medical Debt chooses whose debt it will erase.

It uses monetary donations to buy up medical debt in bulk and pay it off, but it's not something you can apply for and Channel 9 doesn't know who's chosen unless you contact Action 9.

So if you got one of those yellow envelopes, it's not a scam and Action 9 would love to hear from you.

If you're able, you can help by donating money to erase even more debt.

Cox Media Group