Betsy's Medical Recovery
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42% of personal bankruptcies result from unpaid medical expenses.
Betsy will be having her third surgery on January 31, 2019, exactly 2 years after her ski accident. The surgeon does not accept insurance.
Current left-femur complications include:
Nonunion
Malunion
Malrotation
Heterotopic ossification
These persistent and unchanging conditions were complicated by 24 months of being undiagnosed
Required Action:
Extensive surgery to align broken fragments and pieces of the left leg with bone graft to provide a chance for the fractures to finally heal, reduce bone that has grown in wrong places and rotate bone 30 degrees to relieve misalignment. The surgery will result in left leg non-weight bearing post-op for 6 weeks.
Anticipated Expenses:
Surgical fees & hospital stay at HSS
Travel to/from NYC
Post-Op outpatient recovery in NYC
IDEO leg brace to support right ankle for decrease pain with post traumatic arthritis, especially when non-weight bearing on left leg.
Additional incidentals including safety ramps, crutches and related medical equipment.
On January 29th, 2017, Betsy’s life changed forever. As an advanced skier always continuing to improve her skills, Betsy participated in a racing clinic. Unfortunately, Betsy lost control on an icy slope and crashed, rolling into the safety net. Her boots caught in the net while her body kept spinning, twisting her legs with such force the bones in both legs shattered. After an extensive hospital stay, a miraculous recovery of blood flow to her right foot (very closely avoiding an amputation), she was released from the hospital for months of rehab and physical therapy. Since her release from the hospital, she has seen over eleven different doctors, specialists and physical therapists. Despite chronic pain, she continues to amaze us by her progress and determination. She has not done this without significant and constant pain in both legs.
Recently, after Betsy's persistence, the doctors came to understand that Betsy’s left femur fracture never healed and is indeed still broken in several places, additionally, the initial fix for the femur is rotated incorrectly by 30 degrees, causing unnecessary back and hip pain and potential concerns for vertebrae arthritis.
After speaking with surgeons locally in Syracuse about the extensive surgery needed, together with her doctors, Betsy made an appointment with a world renowned orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC (Dr. William Ricci does not accept insurance) who specializes in complex fractures and problems with bone healing. Dr. Ricci is very concerned about the condition of the bone and the odds for a full and complete recovery. While the surgery can provide moderate improvement in pain and mobility, it will at least correct the mal-rotation and repair the fracture.
The ankle specialist at HSS advised that Betsy is not a candidate for surgery in her right leg due to the vascular condition which occurred from the trauma. He has recommend a high-tech IDEO brace as well as additional physical therapy to potentially help relieve some of her pain from every-day mobility and hopefully provide a more stable right leg anchor while her left leg heals. Below an article regarding the IDEO brace:
NPR: Brace Takes Soldier from Limping to Leaping
It is hard to estimate what the total medical expenses will be, but preliminary figures from HSS indicate north of $20,000.00. We humbly ask for your love, prayers and assistance. We have been blessed with a wide network of loving and supportive friends and family who have already gone above and beyond to provide assistance to Betsy and her son Liam. The various car pools, meal trains, flowers and social visits still provide Betsy with the motivation and determination to continue to heal.
In the event that funds raised exceeds expenses, any access will be donated to Joseph's House for Women.
Contact me directly at [email redacted] Thank you for reading this far and thanks for your support!
Betsy will be having her third surgery on January 31, 2019, exactly 2 years after her ski accident. The surgeon does not accept insurance.
Current left-femur complications include:
Nonunion
Malunion
Malrotation
Heterotopic ossification
These persistent and unchanging conditions were complicated by 24 months of being undiagnosed
Required Action:
Extensive surgery to align broken fragments and pieces of the left leg with bone graft to provide a chance for the fractures to finally heal, reduce bone that has grown in wrong places and rotate bone 30 degrees to relieve misalignment. The surgery will result in left leg non-weight bearing post-op for 6 weeks.
Anticipated Expenses:
Surgical fees & hospital stay at HSS
Travel to/from NYC
Post-Op outpatient recovery in NYC
IDEO leg brace to support right ankle for decrease pain with post traumatic arthritis, especially when non-weight bearing on left leg.
Additional incidentals including safety ramps, crutches and related medical equipment.
On January 29th, 2017, Betsy’s life changed forever. As an advanced skier always continuing to improve her skills, Betsy participated in a racing clinic. Unfortunately, Betsy lost control on an icy slope and crashed, rolling into the safety net. Her boots caught in the net while her body kept spinning, twisting her legs with such force the bones in both legs shattered. After an extensive hospital stay, a miraculous recovery of blood flow to her right foot (very closely avoiding an amputation), she was released from the hospital for months of rehab and physical therapy. Since her release from the hospital, she has seen over eleven different doctors, specialists and physical therapists. Despite chronic pain, she continues to amaze us by her progress and determination. She has not done this without significant and constant pain in both legs.
Recently, after Betsy's persistence, the doctors came to understand that Betsy’s left femur fracture never healed and is indeed still broken in several places, additionally, the initial fix for the femur is rotated incorrectly by 30 degrees, causing unnecessary back and hip pain and potential concerns for vertebrae arthritis.
After speaking with surgeons locally in Syracuse about the extensive surgery needed, together with her doctors, Betsy made an appointment with a world renowned orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC (Dr. William Ricci does not accept insurance) who specializes in complex fractures and problems with bone healing. Dr. Ricci is very concerned about the condition of the bone and the odds for a full and complete recovery. While the surgery can provide moderate improvement in pain and mobility, it will at least correct the mal-rotation and repair the fracture.
The ankle specialist at HSS advised that Betsy is not a candidate for surgery in her right leg due to the vascular condition which occurred from the trauma. He has recommend a high-tech IDEO brace as well as additional physical therapy to potentially help relieve some of her pain from every-day mobility and hopefully provide a more stable right leg anchor while her left leg heals. Below an article regarding the IDEO brace:
NPR: Brace Takes Soldier from Limping to Leaping
It is hard to estimate what the total medical expenses will be, but preliminary figures from HSS indicate north of $20,000.00. We humbly ask for your love, prayers and assistance. We have been blessed with a wide network of loving and supportive friends and family who have already gone above and beyond to provide assistance to Betsy and her son Liam. The various car pools, meal trains, flowers and social visits still provide Betsy with the motivation and determination to continue to heal.
In the event that funds raised exceeds expenses, any access will be donated to Joseph's House for Women.
Contact me directly at [email redacted] Thank you for reading this far and thanks for your support!
Fundraising team: Betsy's Squad (5)
Abby Limby
Organizer
Manlius, NY
Betsy Hartnett
Beneficiary
Ali Moughty
Team member
Fabiana Saura-Fusco
Team member
Molly Hartnett
Team member
