Medical expenses for a family in need
Donation protected
My sister, Samantha, is 24 years old and suffers from Hydrocephalus which is a medical problem that she has had from birth and will continue battling for the rest of her life where the fluid in one's brain does not flow properly so it gets trapped in different ventricles. She has five shunts throughout her brain and lumbar that work to drain the fluid either into her heart or stomach depending on the moment. Currently it's draining into the stomach to give her heart a rest but a few years back, while draining into her stomach, it caused a large pseudo-cyst which caused permanent damage to the arteries in her legs leaving her in a wheel chair.
She also suffers from grand mal seizures, severe short term memory loss, and mental delays from the areas of the brain that are constantly worked on. . She also has two lung diseases, as I've stated, that are getting more severe as time passes. She actually just was able to come home from the Hershey Medical Center October 9th after spending a week on oxygen and going through four brain surgeries which results in a total of 144 brain surgeries to date. During this time, there was a newly discovered massive inoperable cyst in her brain that is located where a large amount of shunting takes place. The cyst is smothering her shunts and her neurosurgeon (Chief of pediatric neurosurgery who deals with the most complex brain issues also founder of the shaken baby syndrome and put it into law so some may know who I'm talking about. His name is Dr. Mark Dias) had to leave the gigantic cyst that is attached to her brain which was crushing her shunts on the one side of her brain (keep in mind she's shunted throughout her whole head, neck, and spine). He had to take the left side shunt system carefully out of this dangerous cyst and reroute it through her brain on that same side to make samantha stay alive. This is now a lifelong problem she has to face.She also has a newly forming skin disorder that a dermatologist recognized while at the Hershey Medical Center this past week where she had four more brain surgeries and oxygen treatment.
She has numerous clotting issues; inner cranial in her brain, throughout her sinus cavity, and surrounding vessels around her heart where they enter to drain the shunts. Normally they like to have it drain in the belly, but due to complications in 2006 it developed a pseudo cyst in the belly on her left side. At that same time she had an unexplained damage to her legs which she requires a wheelchair due to circulation problem of some sort where if she walks (with assistance) more than a few steps, her legs become dark purple. She also
still suffers the consequences of a shunt infection from the beginning of March which is pancreatitis which is very painful.
My mom, Sandra, also has medical problems but has kept them hidden from the public's view for obvious reasons. She suffers from multiple illnesses that also cannot be treated locally. My mom suffers from ulcerative colitis where she required surgery in 1999 and 2007 on her intestines and rectum. The only intestines left that she has is a small amount of her small bowel. She has no rectum from the severity of the ulcerative colitis. She actually needs a revision soon since she is suffering from a lot of problems currently. With the condition, it makes her more vulnerable to infection and she has developed osteoarthritis that resulted in spinal stenosis in her neck and disk herniation in her lumbar spine. She had neurosurgery September of last year in her neck where they had to take out the broken and deteriorated bones and add titanium to her neck to keep the bones in place as well as a bone transplant from a cadaver. This has left her with trouble reading, writing, and using the computer to get this message out. All of the surgeries mentioned were at the Penn State Hershey medical center as well.
They both have been going back and forth countless times just this year. My mom is also stuck in a situation that she has to live with more chronic pain than listed due to needing a hysterectomy documented at the Hershey medical center with their testing. They tried to do the surgery but weren't able to do it due to severe adhesions throughout her whole abdomen that are surrounding her organs(her organs can't even be seen). The doctor spent four hours pulling adhesions during surgery at Hershey laparoscopically and he was able to see her small bowel being held down by the adhesions which makes it hard to digest food.My moms blood pressure was running too low so they were forced to close her up. The doctor advised my mom during another visit that they will not be able to do the surgery until her colorectal issues are resolved. Meanwhile Samantha keeps having issues so everything is getting delayed.
The proceeds will benefit:
-The expenses of medical treatment.
-Medically necessary central air and furnace that keep the air purified as well as the house at the proper temperate to avoid grand mal seizures.
-Mileage payments for medical appointments and treatment that take place in Hershey.
Thank you very much for listening to our story.
Thanks and have a wonderful day!
See our Facebook page to stay up to date!
https://www.facebook.com/events/381382042021244/?source=1
She also suffers from grand mal seizures, severe short term memory loss, and mental delays from the areas of the brain that are constantly worked on. . She also has two lung diseases, as I've stated, that are getting more severe as time passes. She actually just was able to come home from the Hershey Medical Center October 9th after spending a week on oxygen and going through four brain surgeries which results in a total of 144 brain surgeries to date. During this time, there was a newly discovered massive inoperable cyst in her brain that is located where a large amount of shunting takes place. The cyst is smothering her shunts and her neurosurgeon (Chief of pediatric neurosurgery who deals with the most complex brain issues also founder of the shaken baby syndrome and put it into law so some may know who I'm talking about. His name is Dr. Mark Dias) had to leave the gigantic cyst that is attached to her brain which was crushing her shunts on the one side of her brain (keep in mind she's shunted throughout her whole head, neck, and spine). He had to take the left side shunt system carefully out of this dangerous cyst and reroute it through her brain on that same side to make samantha stay alive. This is now a lifelong problem she has to face.She also has a newly forming skin disorder that a dermatologist recognized while at the Hershey Medical Center this past week where she had four more brain surgeries and oxygen treatment.
She has numerous clotting issues; inner cranial in her brain, throughout her sinus cavity, and surrounding vessels around her heart where they enter to drain the shunts. Normally they like to have it drain in the belly, but due to complications in 2006 it developed a pseudo cyst in the belly on her left side. At that same time she had an unexplained damage to her legs which she requires a wheelchair due to circulation problem of some sort where if she walks (with assistance) more than a few steps, her legs become dark purple. She also
still suffers the consequences of a shunt infection from the beginning of March which is pancreatitis which is very painful.
My mom, Sandra, also has medical problems but has kept them hidden from the public's view for obvious reasons. She suffers from multiple illnesses that also cannot be treated locally. My mom suffers from ulcerative colitis where she required surgery in 1999 and 2007 on her intestines and rectum. The only intestines left that she has is a small amount of her small bowel. She has no rectum from the severity of the ulcerative colitis. She actually needs a revision soon since she is suffering from a lot of problems currently. With the condition, it makes her more vulnerable to infection and she has developed osteoarthritis that resulted in spinal stenosis in her neck and disk herniation in her lumbar spine. She had neurosurgery September of last year in her neck where they had to take out the broken and deteriorated bones and add titanium to her neck to keep the bones in place as well as a bone transplant from a cadaver. This has left her with trouble reading, writing, and using the computer to get this message out. All of the surgeries mentioned were at the Penn State Hershey medical center as well.
They both have been going back and forth countless times just this year. My mom is also stuck in a situation that she has to live with more chronic pain than listed due to needing a hysterectomy documented at the Hershey medical center with their testing. They tried to do the surgery but weren't able to do it due to severe adhesions throughout her whole abdomen that are surrounding her organs(her organs can't even be seen). The doctor spent four hours pulling adhesions during surgery at Hershey laparoscopically and he was able to see her small bowel being held down by the adhesions which makes it hard to digest food.My moms blood pressure was running too low so they were forced to close her up. The doctor advised my mom during another visit that they will not be able to do the surgery until her colorectal issues are resolved. Meanwhile Samantha keeps having issues so everything is getting delayed.
The proceeds will benefit:
-The expenses of medical treatment.
-Medically necessary central air and furnace that keep the air purified as well as the house at the proper temperate to avoid grand mal seizures.
-Mileage payments for medical appointments and treatment that take place in Hershey.
Thank you very much for listening to our story.
Thanks and have a wonderful day!
See our Facebook page to stay up to date!
https://www.facebook.com/events/381382042021244/?source=1
Organizer
Suzanne O'Gorman
Organizer
Kingston, PA
