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I'm not following. Can't she just take on debt and eventually file bankruptcy and get it discharged?

Bankruptcy only has temporary repercussions, and is objectively preferable to death, which is permanent.

Medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States. Things like cancer can easily result in 7 digit bills, even WITH insurance.

>Her choice is death or go into such incredible debt that she will never have hope to pay it off. She is 29. She has chosen death.

What about going into debt to get healthy and just flipping her debtors the bird? Or bankruptcy? Or waiting for hyperinflation to render her debts moot? Or moving to another country where those debts are effectively meaningless?

This is in the US? Has she worked with hospital staff, social workers, and lawyers (and maybe even federal/state representatives/officials) on all the possible ways to swing this? (Examples: maybe there's some way to get into ACA marketplace insurance soon, or to get onto Medicaid, or to do asset protection?)

Stress, and being in the mode of taking care of someone with advanced illness, might have her feeling down, and approaching and thinking about this differently than she would normally.

A classic United States moment.