This Couple Is Considering Getting Divorced Just to Pay Their Daughter's Medical Bills

When Maria and Jake Grey, a couple from Sanger, TX, took their wedding vows nine years ago, they meant it when they said til death do us part. But their troubles began when their 6-year-old daughter, Brighton, got diagnosed with a rare chromosomal disorder, Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome, at birth. Despite having private insurance, the Greys still pay about $15,000 out of pocket annually for Brighton's healthcare costs — which is why they're considering getting divorced.

Jake, an army veteran and father of two, told ABC affiliate, WFAA, that he can no longer afford to put more than 30 percent of his $40,000 salary toward his daughter's medical bills. Now, divorce seems like the most plausible option for the couple.

"We've just struggled and struggled with it, and I don't know, I guess now we've gotten to the point where we feel it's a real possibility," he said.

Because of Brighton's diagnosis, she will likely need full-time care for the rest of her life. According to WFAA, she has "hearing and vision impairment, seizures, heart and kidney problems, and more," so the fact that Jake's salary makes him unable to qualify for Medicaid leaves the family with very few options.

As a single, unemployed mother of two on paper, Maria would be able to get Brighton the care she needs and qualify for Medicaid — though Jake doesn't feel good about that choice.

"It's morally wrong, I feel like, and I think it's conflicting for me too because I feel like what's happening to us is morally wrong," said Jake.

But when push comes to shove, the Greys will do anything for their daughter to have a decent quality of life.

"We promised to each other and to her that we'd do whatever we could do to make her life, however long she's going to be with us, as good as possible," said Maria.

The Greys don't wish their situation on anyone and are still hoping for another solution to come their way.

"For someone to kind of make you choose between your marriage and your child is just — it's just a really weird spot to be in," Jake said, adding that, "I can't imagine going through what we've been through with anybody else."