Kelly -Flesh-Eating Bacteria

Hi my name is Kelly Kohen Blomberg and I'm from New Orleans, LA. On May 5th I was fishing off the beach in Grand Isle and got bit my some marine animal on the top of my left foot. No one knows for sure what animal caused the injury but based on the bite mark, it might have been a shark. Although the bite itself was painful and I was bleeding profusely, that was not the end of my troubles. Apparently, open wounds are susceptible to bacteria from the ocean and I got infected by a flesh-eating bacteria. As its name suggests, the bacteria feeds on flesh and the infection spreads extremely fast, potentially leading to death. I feel fortunate that I decided to go to the hospital early enough so that the spreading of the bacteria was stopped. However, a lot of damage had already been done within 24 hrs. I've been fighting with this injury for about a month now. I was hospitalized for about 5 days and had 2 surgeries. The pain was unbearable since I had an exposed nerve in my wound. I hardly got any sleep during the time in the hospital and even now, I can barely get a couple of hours of straight sleep before the pain in my foot wakes me up. It's been an extremely challenging time. I am grateful for my mom and friends who have been helping me in simple everyday activities. However, I am not able to work and it appears that the healing process will take several weeks to months. At this point, I have gone through my savings. I do have insurance but I anticipate still being billed a few thousands dollars for part of my treatment which my insurance will not cover. I am requesting any dollar amount that you can spare. Anything would be greatly appreciated during this time when I have no income and it will have a huge impact on my life. I thank you in advance for your help!