FORT MYERS, Fla. — Tiffany Noel is working to get back on her feet after surviving a violent domestic attack that almost killed her.
In 2008, Tiffany Noel's boyfriend shot her with a shotgun, two times.
Noel says she’s had more than 70 life-saving surgeries to repair the damage from the shots to her face and her stomach.
The damage has left bullet fragments in her jaw and stomach, forcing Noel to only eat soft foods for the past 13 years.
She says insurance companies consider the operations to remove the bullet fragments from her body as a cosmetic operation.
Ultimately meaning they won’t cover the cost of the surgeries.
“It’s not fair that I can't get what I need done to help. If he (attacker) was alive, he would have to pay for it but because he is dead it becomes an issue of who should have to pay for it,” said Noel.
Noel says the reconstructive surgery she needs would cost around $40,000, a price tag she can't afford on her own.
She says because doctors had to remove so much of her intestine- problems with digesting food have sent her to the emergency room, three times this past year.
Noel says the constant pain and trips to the hospital keep her from living the life she deserves.
“I don't want to be confined to a bed, laying on a heating pad all the time because I am in so much pain. I want to be able to be out with my children swimming, playing...I can't do the other things that moms do,” said Noel.
Noel says she has talked with several surgeons about other options for financing the surgeries, but no luck so far.
A link to her Go Fund Me page can be found by clicking here.
Domestic violence resources:
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
Florida Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-500-1119
Domestic Violence Shelters:
Lee County:
Abuse Counseling & Treatment, Inc.
Hotline: (239) 939-3112
http://actabuse.com
Collier County:
The Shelter for Abused Women & Children
Hotline: 239-775-1101
http://www.naplesshelter.org/
Charlotte County:
Center for Abuse and Rape Emergencies
Hotline: 941-627-6000
https://www.carefl.org/
Statewide Help:
Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Hotline: (800) 500-1119
http://www.fcadv.org
