She Didn’t Expect to Get Sick — But She Prepared Anyway
Life insurance with Living Benefits helped Luz after a devastating diagnosis.
When Luz Hernández came down with a fever, she wasn’t too worried. It seemed like a minor illness that would pass quickly, but she made a doctor’s appointment just in case. After three days, the fever broke, but she kept the appointment anyway. She never imagined she’d get a diagnosis that would change her life.
Preparing for the future
Born in Mexico, Luz has lived in Utah for 15 years. A proud mother of five, she has passed on her Maya and Zapotec heritage by joining a folkloric dance group.
At one performance, Luz met Maria Baker, her National Life insurance agent. The idea of life insurance resonated with Luz because preparing for an uncertain future is an important principle for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons).
At first, only her husband got life insurance, because he was the primary provider and Luz had always been healthy. But Luz realized she needed to be covered too, in case of an accident. “I didn’t want to leave my children unprotected,” she says.
Living Benefits help pay for dialysis
When Luz met with her doctor, she learned that her three-day fever could have been due to kidney dysfunction.
After months of tests, she was told that her kidneys were no longer functional; she could collapse at any moment. Shortly after the warning, she was hospitalized — both kidneys had failed. A specialist told her that without dialysis, she had only six months to live. Her only hope was a transplant.
“I couldn’t understand how this could happen,” she says. “I’ve always tried to contribute — to my community, to my family, to everyone around me. But this doesn’t only happen to people who do bad things, but also to those of us who strive to live right.”
Luz’s initial reaction was one of panic. How was she going to pay for the cost of dialysis and medical expenses?
An emergency fund covered her initial bills — but what changed everything was her life insurance policy with Living Benefits from National Life.
Her agent informed her that she would likely qualify for a Living Benefits payment thanks to the Chronic Illness rider on her policy. “I didn’t know that the benefit could be paid out while alive,” she says. “It was the greatest relief.”
With the money, Luz was able to pay for dialysis. Her older children have stepped up, learning to inventory supplies and even setting up and programming the dialysis machine. “This experience united and strengthened our family and has helped us love each other more,” Luz says. “This is not just my challenge but a family challenge.”
The payout also meant she could meet a requirement for being added to the transplant waiting list: having at least $25,000 on hand as proof she could afford health insurance after the surgery.
Finding purpose
Today, Luz is grateful for a life filled with hard-won victories, including a happy marriage and five children she was once told she could never have.
She feels kidney failure was not a punishment but a path to her purpose: To raise awareness about the importance of organ donation. More than 100,000 people are on the national transplant waiting list — 86% of them are waiting for a kidney.[1]
Thanks to the National Life payout, Luz’s husband was able to sign up to be a living donor, knowing he could cover expenses for months after surgery.
Luz has also used some of the money to fund life insurance policies for her children. She urges everyone to get protected.
“My advice is to get a life insurance policy today. There is nothing more certain than death, whether it is due to illness or an accident. You shouldn’t wait to have a certain amount of savings. You shouldn’t wait for life to go wrong.”
Luz is now fighting to stay alive for her children. “No one is ready to be orphaned,” she says.
The family is managing the money carefully, stretching it to last until a transplant comes through.
“We’re going to make it,” she says. “The benefit from National Life has been a blessing. I see myself in the future with my children — and happy.”
[1] Health Resources & Services Administration, Organ Donation Statistics, organdonor.gov/learn/organ-donation-statistics, May 2, 2025
Living Benefits may be provided by riders, which are supplemental benefits that can be added to a life insurance policy and are not suitable unless you also have a need for life insurance. Riders are optional, may require additional premium, and may not be available in all states or on all products. This is not a solicitation of any specific insurance policy.
Payment of accelerated benefits will reduce the cash value and death benefit otherwise payable under the policy. Receipt of accelerated benefits may be a taxable event, may affect your eligibility for public assistance programs, and may reduce or eliminate other policy and rider benefits. Please consult your personal tax advisor to determine the tax status of any benefits paid under this rider and with social service agencies concerning how receipt of such a payment will affect you.
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